A whiteboard will be used to shield one of Australian actor Craig McLachlan's alleged victims while detailing indecent assault accusations against him.
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The screen and stage star is charged with seven counts of indecent assault, one of attempted indecent assault and another of assault involving four alleged victims in Melbourne between April and July in 2014.
Prosecutors plan to read an overview of the allegations to Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday before the complainants give evidence.
The four want to detail their accusations in person during closed-court hearings but one has requested a screen shield.
All that was available was a white board, the court was told during a short hearing on Friday.
McLachlan was not in court but is expected to appear on Monday, when his lawyers plan to outline their defence.
The actor had been starring in the Rocky Horror Show stage production, playing the role of Dr Frank-N-Furter, around the time of the allegations.
A contested hearing is expected to go for three weeks, with some prosecution witnesses expected to give evidence remotely from South Africa's Cape Town and another from Abu Dhabi.
McLachlan became a household name for roles in the Australian soap operas Neighbours and Home and Away, and more recently led the Ballarat-filmed TV series Doctor Blake Mysteries.
He denies the allegations against him and in 2018 launched defamation proceedings against Fairfax Media, the ABC and a former co-star.
The actor is seeking $6.5 million in damages but his case has been delayed until after criminal proceedings wrap up in Victoria.
Australian Associated Press