A 31-year-old Dandenong man has been charged with allegedly threatening an AFP officer and creating targeted, menacing online video content.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) will allege the 31-year-old made multiple threatening, offensive and harassing phone calls to the AFP, in some instances allegedly impersonating a Commonwealth Prosecutor. He is also alleged to have targeted an individual AFP officer and uploaded threatening material regarding the member online.
On Tuesday 7 January, 2020 the AFP executed search warrants in the Melbourne suburbs of Dandenong and Woodend. The search warrants resulted in the seizure of a number of electronic devices including several computer hard drives, USBs, mobile phones, laptops, a video camera, SD cards and a small quantity of cannabis.
The man appeared before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today (8 January 2020) charged with:
- Six counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass, or cause offence contrary to section 474.17(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth)
- Three counts of using a carriage service to make a threat to cause serious harm contrary to section 474.15(2) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth)
- One count of threatening to cause harm to a Commonwealth public official, namely a public law enforcement officer contrary to section 147.2(1) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth)
If convicted he faces a maximum sentence of 9 years imprisonment.
Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling said the charges make it clear no one should be harassed or threatened in the line of duty.
“The safety and ability of our members to perform their vital work is of the utmost importance to the AFP.”
“We have a zero tolerance for those who would seek to menace our members and these charges are a reflection of this,” Det Supt Crossling said.
