`cheriegate Photo' On Disc Stolen In Break-in

Sun Herald

Sunday November 2, 2003

By ALEX MITCHELL

POLICE are investigating the theft of a computer disc allegedly carrying a photograph of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian con man Peter Foster that would link the two men in the Downing Street scandal known as ``Cheriegate".

The disc was stolen from the Gold Coast house of Foster's barrister, Sean Cousins .

Police described the circumstances of the theft as suspicious.

Nothing else was removed by the intruder, who appeared to have gained entrance through a sliding door at the back of Mr Cousins' home.

If published, a photograph that established Mr Blair knew Foster while he was romancing Carole Caplin , style guru to Cherie Blair QC, could be a devastating blow to Mr Blair, whose minders issued a statement last year saying: ``The Prime Minister has never met Mr Foster."

It was revealed last year that Foster helped Mrs Blair buy two apartments in Bristol at a big discount.

Foster declined to answer questions because of a confidentiality agreement with publishers of his $1.2 million behind-the-scenes account of the Blair family, but a friend confirmed that ``some of Peter's private property has been stolen".

Mr Cousins said he had taken the disc from a safe in his chambers and had taken it home for the weekend with the intention of delivering it to a third party on Monday.

The burglary had left him ``unnerved and distressed" because only a tiny handful of people knew that he was taking it home, and they were informed in private telephone conversations.

At the same time as the theft, Foster claimed to have lost 500 emails stored in his home computer, telling friends on the Gold Coast: ``It was the scariest thing. They all just disappeared in front of my eyes. I felt a chill when it happened."

He said he had an IT expert inspect his computer, which is protected by two virus ``firewalls".

The friend said the computer specialist told Foster: ``Something has infiltrated the computer and sucked everything out of it."

© 2003 Sun Herald

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