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🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Man Charged Over Alleged Social Media Threat Against Federal Minister

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • A 53-year-old New South Wales man faces a charge of using a carriage service to threaten to kill or cause serious harm after an alleged Facebook post about Tanya Plibersek.
  • The court granted him conditional bail, including a ban on social media use and contact with the minister or her offices.
  • He has not entered a plea and will return to Queanbeyan Local Court on September 15.

A 53-year-old man from New South Wales has faced court after police accused him of threatening federal Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek in a social media post.

Shannon Bennett faces a charge of using a carriage service to make a threat to kill or cause serious harm. The Australian Federal Police arrested him on Wednesday after its National Security Investigations team investigated an alleged online threat reported in July. Investigators said they linked the post to Mr Bennett and seized a mobile phone during a search of his home in Berridale.

serious in its allegations

· Judge Te’res SiaCharacterizing the allegations when granting conditional bail.

Judge Te’res Sia granted Mr Bennett conditional bail and described the allegations as serious. The charge relates to an alleged Facebook post dated July 22. The judge noted that Mr Bennett’s criminal history in Queensland and New South Wales was “not unblemished”, but said he had “no entries of a similar or identical kind”.

not unblemished

· Judge Te’res SiaDescribing the defendant’s criminal history.

Under the bail conditions, Mr Bennett cannot use social media, contact or approach Ms Plibersek, or go within 100 metres of her electorate office in Sydney or Parliament House in Canberra. He must also report weekly to Cooma Police Station. He appeared by audio-visual link from custody and has not entered a plea.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment. Mr Bennett will next appear at Queanbeyan Local Court on September 15. Plibersek declined to comment, saying the matter was before the courts.

no entries of a similar or identical kind

· Judge Te’res SiaNoting that the defendant had no previous record of comparable conduct.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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