Melbourne man accused of sending death threats, anti-Semitic remarks to Australian politicians
The 33-year-old from Reservoir, in the city's north, was arrested on February 6 as part of an investigation by the AFP-led Special Operation Avalite – set up in the wake of the Adass Israel Synagogue firebombing late last year to probe anti-Semitic threats and violence to Australia's Jewish community and parliamentarians.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with four counts of using a carriage service to menace and one count of using a carriage service to threaten to kill.
According to the AFP, it's alleged he used social media and email to make death threats and anti-Semitic comments towards a NSW-based federal MP between January 16 and 18 this year.
The man is also alleged to have made threats to a Victorian state MP the same month over social media.
He appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday for a short hearing after his case was referred to the Assessment and Referral Court (ARC).
According to the Magistrates' Court of Victoria website, the ARC aims to assist people with complex mental health conditions receive support for up to 12 months before sentencing.
'ARC's therapeutic approach increases participants' engagement with the court process while providing treatment and support tailored to their needs and to address the underlying causes of their offending,' the website states.
During the hearing, Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano left the bench to sit around a large oval-shaped desk with the accused man, his lawyer Jackson McLeod, a police prosecutor and court support services in a less formal setting.
The court was told the man was engaging with support services to develop an individual support plan and access treatment needs.
'A lot of this stuff I've needed for years; its kind of irritating it's come this far,' he said.
The accused man complained about his support worker, saying he'd avoided her recently because 'all she wants to do is drug me' and repeatedly mentioned an ex-boyfriend who, he said, had thrown his life into disarray.
Mr Caltabiano said he was not going to pretend the ARC process would make things 'rosy' for the accused man, but the hope was his personal situation would improve.
'What I see in here is a number of things that hopefully if they can come together means some of these challenges become less significant,' the magistrate said after reviewing case notes.
The accused man will return to court in a month for another case management check-in.
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