Police have secured a restraining order to protect the wife of a former federal MP who defended him when he was found guilty of using trade union funds to pay for prostitutes.
Zoe Arnold was expecting her first child with Craig Thomson when the allegations were made against her husband in 2009 and later stood by him in court.
Mr Thomson, the onetime Labor member for Dobell, was found guilty of misusing funds while national secretary of the Health Services Union between 2002 and 2007.
A four-year investigation by Fair Work Australia revealed he had used his union credit card for personal gain including paying for brothel visits and escorts.
Police have secured a restraining order to protect Zoe Arnold from her politician husband Craig Thomson who she defended when he was found guilty of using trade union funds to pay for prostitutes. The couple is pictured leaving Melbourne Magistrates Court in 2013
Mr Thomson was found guilty of misusing funds while national secretary of the Health Services Union between 2002 and 2007. An investigation by Fair Work Australia revealed he had used his union credit card for personal gain including paying for brothel visits and escorts
Ms Arnold gave a character reference for Mr Thomson in March 2014 ahead of his sentencing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court.
'My husband is a good man,' the journalist wrote. 'Craig has been a devoted husband, partner and friend to me.
'He supports, encourages and loves me every day. I know I am lucky to have him and will continue to support him, just as he always supports me.'
Ms Arnold was Mr Thomson's third wife and by the time he was sentenced they had two daughters.
'He is beloved by our children who constantly ask where he is if he's not home,' she wrote in the reference. 'They adore there daddy who in turn dotes on them.'
Police were granted an apprehended violence order on Ms Arnold's behalf at Gosford Local Court on the New South Wales Central Coast on Monday.
The two-year AVO prevents 57-year-old Mr Thomson going anywhere Ms Arnold lives, works or to other places listed in the order.
She is called Zoe Thomson in court documents.
Ms Arnold gave a character reference for Mr Thomson ahead of his sentencing over theft charges in March 2014. 'My husband is a good man,' the journalist told Melbourne Magistrates Court. 'Craig has been a devoted husband, partner and friend to me'
Mr Thomson, who was not in court, is banned from assaulting, threatening, stalking or intimidating Ms Arnold, harming any pet she owns or
