By Alexandria Utting
Copyright abc
A Gold Coast man alleged to have provided veterinary drugs to Queenslanders for assisted dying is separately accused of posing as a lawyer, according to court documents.
Brett Daniel Taylor, 53, is accused of trafficking a drug commonly used in veterinary euthanasia for the purposes of assisting suicide.
He was remanded in custody by the Southport Magistrates Court on Saturday after being charged with two counts of aiding suicide and one count of trafficking the dangerous drug pentobarbital and possessing the same dangerous drug.
He was also charged with obtaining Australian currency associated with trafficking.
‘Not entitled to engage in practice’
The ABC can reveal Mr Taylor is also accused of posing as a lawyer at Main Beach on the Gold Coast between June 2019 and July 2024.
Two charges were brought by the Legal Services Commissioner against Mr Taylor in December 2024 for allegedly breaching the Legal Profession Act.
He faced the Southport Magistrates Court on one count of engaging in legal practice when he was not an Australian legal practitioner.
The Legal Services Commission said in a statement the 53-year-old was alleged to have prepared wills and other legally binding documents for 126 clients and received payment for services through his business End of Life Services.
The second charge relates to Mr Taylor allegedly representing that he was entitled to engage in legal practice when he was not entitled to do so.
The commission alleges the representations were made on the website for his business, including those related to reviewing and assisting with administering wills and other services typically provided by a solicitor.
He is accused of making the representations for four years between 2020 and 2024, according to court documents.
End of Life Services
Prior to being charged, Mr Taylor operated the business called End of Life Services that offered “strategic and effective accounting and legal options”.
Its website shows the business provides services to “plan and administer a loved [one’s] passing” including preparing wills and enduring power of attorney documents.
ASIC records showed Mr Taylor was also the director of a not-for-profit company called Cetacean Compassion Australia Ltd.
His father Ian Taylor is also listed as a director and has been charged with drug offences to appear in court later this month.
The charity was deregistered last year.
Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Inspector Mark Mooney said police would allege Mr Taylor used the company as a front to source the euthanasia drug pentobarbital, which he is accused of trafficking.
The company’s registered address is the same Main Beach address where Mr Taylor was arrested and alleged to have received cash from trafficking.
According to the company’s governing document, all income from the charity was “directed at achieving the purchase and distribution of agents and materials for the compassionate euthanising of cetaceans”.
Cetaceans are marine mammals, including dolphins and whales.
“Beaching of cetaceans can occur in large numbers in remote locations, with each animal requiring larger dosages of euthanising product than the pet or livestock requirements carried by local vets,” the document said.
Assisted suicide matter to return to court
According to court documents, Mr Taylor is separately accused of aiding the suicide of a man at Hope Island on April 11, 2025.
He has also been charged with aiding the suicide of a woman at Southport between September 4 and 11 this year.
According to the documents, police allege he trafficked the drug pentobarbital between July last year and September this year.
He has been accused of possessing the same drug at Southport on September 9 this year.
Police also allege he received the cash obtained from trafficking dangerous drugs on September 12 at Main Beach.
According to the documents, he did not apply for bail at his court appearance at the weekend and will return to court on September 18.
