Abduction conspiracy accused claim 'unfair' treatment

Four people accused of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in Queensland relating to an alleged child abduction ring have failed to halt their upcoming trial.

NSW doctor William Russell Pridgeon and Patrick Finbar McGarry O'Dea, of Grafton in northeast NSW, faced Brisbane District Court along with two female co-accused on Thursday for a hearing on their application to stay indictments.

The charges relate to the group's alleged involvement in a child stealing ring more than four years ago that helped mothers to go on the run because they believed their children were being abused by fathers.

Pridgeon, O'Dea and one of the women have each been charged with two counts of conspiring to defeat justice and the other woman has been charged with one count.

Crown prosecutor Daniel Whitmore said he intended to call 22 witnesses and present 150 exhibits including telephone intercepts, surveillance material and videos produced by defendants.

O'Dea, who represented himself, told the court he could not understand the charges and had difficulty following proceedings as he was "profoundly deaf".

"I'm preparing for trial in a few weeks' time. I don't understand the charges. They keep being changed. I can't get legal representation because my income has been devastated," O'Dea said.

O'Dea said he was in a "crazy" situation as he could not read small print on court documents and could not retrieve documents from a USB memory stick.

Newcastle pastor Paul Robert Burton filed an application that O'Dea was unfit to stand trial due to mental and physical health issues resulting from the Rhodesian War.

Judge Leanne Clare said Mr Burton was not a psychologist and she saw "no reason to question (O'Dea's) ability to plead within the law".

Pridgeon, who represented himself, sought police documents on any abuse of children concerned with the case.

Judge Leanne Clare said any such documents were not relevant and would also be protected.

"The fathers are not on trial, you are on trial ... what matters is what you knew, what you believed and why," Judge Clare said.

Pridgeon was granted access to documents on his computer that had been seized by police and said he would object to the prosecution using the word "abduction" as he said that implied he had committed a crime.

Judge Clare also dismissed applications by three defendants that she described as "looking at freeing them from indictment".

"All three are advocates for the righteousness of their cause, but they are not lawyers and find it difficult to grasp points of law and fact," Judge Clare said.

"They have conducted research but have been artificially selective and their misreading of the law has been feeding into their sense of persecution."

A female defendant complained she could not understand the brief of evidence, but Judge Clare said she was "not satisfied there is unfairness" as the brief had already been simplified.

The case will return to court on April 20 and is expected to go to trial in May.