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Saffron denies being blackmailed
SYDNEY: Mr Abe Saffron said yes-
terday that he had never met missing
newspaper heiress Mrs Juanita Nielsen,
let alone been blackmailed by her.
He was not even aware Mrs Nielsen
existed and had never heard her name
mentioned before reading of her disap-
pearance in newspapers.
Mr Saffron, a Sydney businessman,
was giving evidence to the inquest in
Glebe Coroner's Court into the sus-
pected death of Mrs Nielsen, who was
last seen outside the Carousel Cabaret,
owned by Mr Saffron, in Kings Cross
on July 4, 1975.
The allegation that Mr Saffron was
being blackmailed by Mrs Nielsen was
one of a series put during cross-ex-
amination by Mrs Priscilla Fleming,
counsel assisting the coroner.
Mrs Fleming: Did you ever meet
Juanita Nielsen?
Mr Saffron: No, I did not. I was not
aware she existed. I had never heard her
name mentioned prior to her disap-
pearance.
Mr Saffron was also questioned by
Mrs Fleming about his relationship with
Sydney nightclub manager Mr James
Anderson, which had begun about
1973.
Mr Anderson had given evidence that
during the 70s he managed a number
of nightclubs and restaurants in the
Kings Cross area, including the
Carousel Cabaret, for Mr Saffron.
Mr Saffron said the club was
operated by the Andersons without him
being involved.
Mrs Fleming asked Mr Saffron
whether he had met Mr Eddie Trigg or
Mr Shayne Martin-Simmonds, both of
whom have been convicted for con-
spiracy to abduct Mrs Nielsen.
Mr Saffron: To my knowledge, no.
He said he was aware of funds drawn
from the company under which the
Carousel Cabaret operated to pay legal
fees for Mr Trigg in 1975.
He had not known this had been done
until he examined the books at the end
of that financial year, with two cheque
payments having been made in June
and one in early July.
He had told Mr Anderson that loans
of that nature were not to be made to
employees, and this was the only inci-
dent where such a loan had been made.
Mr Saffron said he knew nothing in
Picturegram Mr Saffron arriving at Glebe Coroner's Court yesterday. Help
Picturegram
Mr Saffron arriving at Glebe Coroner's Court yesterday.
connection with an allegation that
$70,000 had been paid to Mr Trigg to
plead guilty at his trial held earlier this
year.
"I know of no monies having been
paid to Mr Trigg outside of those three
cheques my attention has been drawn
to," he said.
The inquest before the coroner, Mr
Bert Wilson, and a jury of six will
resume this morning.
ADELAIDE: The Full Supreme
Court yesterday convicted Mr Saffron
of five breaches of South Australia's
Licensing Act.
The court, comprising Mr Justice
Zelling, Mr Justice Wells and Mr Jus-
tice Bollen, upheld a Crown appeal
against a magistrate's dismissal of the
charges in June last year.
Mr W. J. Ackland, SM, had ruled the
charges were invalid because they had
been incorrectly worded.
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