Conduct that can be formulated as either offering a benefit or threatening a detriment may constitute extortion under s 415(1)(b) of the Criminal Code (Qld). Where a witness offers to provide helpful evidence in exchange for payment, the inescapable inference that without payment the evidence would be withheld is capable of constituting a threat of detriment. It does not matter whether the evidence offered was truthful or untruthful; the relevant question is whether there was a threat of detriment of any kind.
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