Billabong boss' ex-wife speaks out in court: Losing home 'worse than affair'

Former Billabong boss Matthew Perrin and ex-wife Nicole Bricknell. Photos / News.com.au

Matthew Perrin's ex-wife took another stab at the former Billabong boss in court today, saying that his gambling away the couple's custom-designed luxury house was "worse than having an affair".

Meanwhile Perrin's lawyers turned the heat on the ex-wife, Nicole Bricknell, suggesting she deliberately chose not to "save" Perrin from going to jail or losing the house when she had the chance to do so.

Perrin's barrister Andrew Hoare asserted that Bricknell could have used $10 million that she withdrew from the couple's joint bank account to repay her husband's mortgage to the Commonwealth Bank.

The former Billabong CEO is on trial for allegedly using his wife's forged signature to put up the couple's luxury house as security for $13.5 million credit from the bank in 2008.

"You could have used that $10 million to pay back the bank and save your husband at that point," Hoare asked, according to the Courier-Mail.

"Could I? Why would I have done that?' Bricknell replied. 'My children are my priority."

Hoare also asserted that Perrin "never mentioned the word jail or the word forgery" when he broke down in front of his family in January, 2009.

Bricknell has previously testified that her husband wept and confessed to the family that he had caused their finances to collapse.

On Wednesday, the mother-of-three stood by her version of events and said Hoare's suggestion was "completely incorrect".

She also denied knowing the house was at risk before withdrawing the $10 million, which she did on the same day her husband allegedly confessed to his misdeeds.

Bricknell told the Brisbane District Court that signing away their custom-built, waterfront house at Surfers Paradise was "worse than having an affair".

"Matthew was never allowed to sign my signature on anything," she told the court on Wednesday.

"I always protected my children and I never ever would have allowed him to sign my name on anything - that was not the right thing to do."

"This man has taken from me and my children without my permission and knowledge; that's worse than having an affair in my opinion."

The couple allegedly made $33 million from their investment in the popular surfwear company in the late 1990s.

The pair enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle for a number of years but it all fell apart after Perrin allegedly used their waterfront home on Cronin Island as bank security.

Perrin was declared bankrupt in 2009 after his investments collapsed.

He admits signing his former wife's name but claims he had her permission to do so.

He is also accused of faking his brother Fraser Perrin's signature as a witness on the paperwork.

Perrin denies nine charges of forgery and three of fraud.

- additional reporting Daily Mail.