Noosa detectives have charged a man with criminal defamation after flyers were allegedly distributed throughout Tewantin falsely claiming his former sporting associate was a paedophile.
It will be alleged that in November last year two male members of a sports club had a falling out and discontinued their partnership.
It is further alleged that one of the men, angry at the collapse of their partnership, drafted a message alleging his former associate was a paedophile and delivered it to multiple homes within the community.
The flyer contained the name and address of the 70-year-old victim along with a number of false allegations about his alleged criminal history.
On November 30, 2018 the 69-year-old wife of the victim was handed a copy of the flyer by a member of the club, at which point police were notified.
Ongoing investigations by police and forensic examination of multiple flyers that were seized led to a 67-year-old Tinbeerwah man being charged with criminal defamation last week.
He is due to appear in Noosa Magistrates Court on July 9.
Officer in Charge of Noosa Police Station, Senior Sergeant Ben Carroll, said the victim and his family were devastated by the allegations shared amongst the tight-knit community.
“This should serve as a warning to others that police take offences like this very seriously and will prosecute over the sharing of defamatory and malicious information,” Senior Sergeant Carroll said.
“The victim and his wife were obviously distressed by these allegations. He now has the opportunity in court to clear his name and restore his reputation,” he said.
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You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.
