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 | | Monday, 8 April, 2002, 07:15 GMT 08:15 UK Crowe 'extortion' trial halted  The Oscar winning actor, Russell Crowe The trial of three men accused of trying to blackmail actor Russell Crowe has been adjourned because of concerns over prejudicial media reports. Philip Cropper and Malcolm Mercer are accused of tying to extort money out of the Oscar-winner by threatening to distribute to the media a video tape which allegedly shows Crowe and others fighting in a street outside a New South Wales nightclub. Mr Cropper and Mr Mercer, along with Mark Potts, are also charged with perverting the course of justice by not handing the tape over to the police. In a pre-trial hearing at the Coffs Harbour District Court, Judge David Freeman agreed to suspend the trial because of concerns over media reports at the weekend.
"I don't want to lecture you. I do seek your cooperation," he said. The fight is alleged to have taken place at the Coffs Harbour club in November 1999. Coffs Harbour is about 350 miles north of Sydney. Blackmail carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence in New South Wales and perverting the course of justice a maximum of 14 years. The trial is now expected to take place in June. Recognition Crowe has become one of Hollywood's top actors since winning acclaim in 1997's LA Confidential. Two years later he picked up his first Oscar nomination for The Insider and 12 months on he won the best actor award for his role in the Roman epic Gladiator. The 38-year-old New Zealand-born actor missed out in the same category in 2002 to Denzel Washington performance in Training Day. The movie A Beautiful Mind, in which he starred, won best film and best director for Ron Howard. It is not known if Crowe will give evidence himself at the trial when it goes ahead. | | See also:  Internet links: The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites Top Showbiz stories now:  Links to more Showbiz stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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