Jodie Power Was Delusional: Ex-Husband

Friday May 16, 12:39 PM

Jodie Power was delusional: husband

The estranged husband of Jodie Power has told a jury in a defamation case he believed her marijuana smoking was "ruining" her mind and making her delusional during their relationship.

Michael Ripley was called to give evidence on Friday in the NSW Supreme Court by the legal team for Mercedes Corby, who is suing Seven Network Ltd.

Ms Corby, the sister of convicted Bali drug smuggler Schapelle Corby, says she was defamed in interviews with her former best friend, Ms Power, which were broadcast in February last year.

She says she was falsely portrayed as a drug dealer and smuggler. Neither Ms Power nor Ms Corby - who have been at the trial every day since it started three weeks ago - were present in court for Mr Ripley's evidence.

Mr Ripley said he first met Ms Power in late 2001 and they split up in May 2006.

During their five years together Ms Power had smoked marijuana very often, he said.He had told her she needed to stop, he told the court, because "she was becoming delusional" and "it was ruining Jodie's mind".

"She used to think that women were trying to contact me," he said, later describing it as "crazy stuff".

"Jodie's said to me that I have a line underneath the house that I used to contact women," he said. "She said there were messages coming over the TV from lovers."

Mr Ripley described Mercedes Corby as an honest, kind and caring person.

He said on Ms Power's return from Bali in July 2005, she had told him "she wanted to hurt Mercedes".

Schapelle Corby is serving 20 years in a Bali prison after being convicted of smuggling 4.1kg of cannabis into Indonesia inside a bodyboard bag in 2004.

The defamation hearing is continuing before Justice Carolyn Simpson.

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