Unbothered influencer applies lip gloss as she arrives at court

Gold Coast influencer Kate Szepanowski looked unfazed as she arrived at Brisbane Supreme Court on Wednesday to support her boyfriend Jordan Roman Brennan as he faced drug charges.

Mr Brennan, 31, has been charged with two counts of attempting to possess a commercial quantity of cocaine.

Ms Szepanowski is the sister of fellow influencer Chloe Szepanowski, who in turn is a member of the Orval family through her relationship with YouTuber Mitch Orval.

The patriarch of the Orval family is former footy player-turned-internet celebrity Mark Orval, better known by his hot-tempered alter ego ‘Angry Dad’.

The Szepanowskis and Orvals are not involved whatsoever in Mr Brennan’s alleged criminal activity. Kate Szepanowski was simply supporting her boyfriend at court.

As she made her way into the courthouse, Ms Szepanowski was seen applying a bright red lip gloss in front of the press photographers.

She looked worlds away from the glossy Instagram photos she shared just a year ago, with her blonde hair now a shade of dramatic dark brown.

The socialite wore a modest green satin halterneck top with black suit trousers, black patent pumps and a black leather handbag.

Szepanowski, 29, has kept a low profile in recent months, acting as a guest while her two sisters Chloe and Amy played the role of bridesmaids at their mother Sherree’s wedding earlier this month.

Wednesday’s hearing comes after crown prosecutor Patrick Wilson told the Brisbane Supreme Court jury on Monday that two men sat in a van and swore with frustration after allegedly being unable to find 48kg of cocaine hidden in a shipping container.

Mr Brennan and Brendan John Sipple had allegedly searched the container on June 12, 2020, looking for 42 packages of cocaine concealed in its refrigeration unit.

‘The defendants travelled repeatedly from the Gold Coast to the Port of Brisbane, often late at night, spending considerable amounts of time in the vicinity of where the container was located,’ Mr Wilson said.

Mr Brennan and Mr Sipple have both pleaded not guilty to attempting to possess a commercial quantity of unlawfully imported drugs.

Police devices attached to the defendants’ Hyundai iLoad van tracked their movements and recorded their conversations.

Prosecutor Wilson said Mr Brennan was recorded at 2.22am on June 11, 2020, talking to Mr Sipple about searching a shipping container on a previous occasion.

‘We had so many hours there that if we had the correct tools from the start, brother, it was ours,’ Mr Brennan allegedly said.

Mr Sipple then allegedly replied: ‘That’s a big earn, lad. A big, big earn.’

Wilson said dock workers in Belgium had found the packages, containing between 82 and 96 per cent pure cocaine, in February and the drugs were seized by police.

The container arrived at Brisbane on June 6 under surveillance by Queensland and federal police.

Mr Wilson said the port’s yard was stacked high with many thousands of containers but Mr Brennan and Mr Sipple were interested in only one.

‘What is in dispute in this trial is what [Brennan and Sipple’s] intention was when they entered the yard in the early hours of June 12,’ Wilson said.

The listening device in the defendants’ van recorded their discussion after leaving the yard.

‘I’m really pi**ed off you’ve done these two with me and you’ve got nothing to show for it. I want to make these f***ing c***s to give you something,’ Mr Brennan was allegedly recorded saying.

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The prosecutor said Mr Brennan’s DNA was later found on a glove left beside the container the defendants were looking for, and panels on the container’s sides had been removed.

Mr Brennan’s defence barrister Saul Holt told the jury it was clear his client had attended the yard for an illegal purpose.

‘This is not a court of morals – it is a court of law. You will be legitimately already disgusted by the behaviour [Brennan] engaged in. You will hate the idea of cocaine being imported into Australia and the harm it can do,’ Mr Holt said.

Mr Holt said Mr Brennan did not access the container or attempt to extract cocaine and the jury would find that meant he was not guilty of the crime he had been charged with.

Mr Sipple’s defence barrister Josh Underwood said the trial was not about whether his client had entered the yard or committed any other offence – but whether he had accessed the shipping container.