Shock alleged find after man accused of stalking radio queen
David Gourlay, 38, was arrested in Sydney's east earlier this month after a police investigation into allegations he bombarded her with hundreds of Instagram messages.
Police began an investigation after receiving a complaint from Ms Henderson on July 3.
The following day Mr Gourlay was arrested while sitting on a bench outside her home, and police allege when they searched his satchel they found a 10-15cm bolt inside a sock.
Waverley Local Court was told on Monday police feared that the improvised weapon was to be used against Ms Henderson.
Mr Gourlay on Monday appeared via video link from prison, where he has been held on remand since his arrest, as he made an application to be freed on bail.
The court was told that Mr Gourlay sent the KIIS FM star 'hundreds if not thousands' of messages via social media from January until his arrest earlier this month.
One of the charges relates to an occasion when Mr Gourlay allegedly had flowers delivered to Ms Henderson's home.
His solicitor Trudie Cameron told the court some of the messages were sexual in nature and 'troubling', however she said at no time was he aggressive or did he express dissatisfaction with Ms Henderson.
He is facing four counts of stalk/intimidate and one count each of using a carriage service to menace/harass, armed with intention to commit indictable offence and use offensive weapon to commit indictable offence.
He entered not guilty pleas to all charges at Monday's hearing.
When he was arrested, Mr Gourlay was taken to a mental health facility before he was released into the custody of police and was charged.
The court was told Mr Gourlay has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was unmedicated at the time.
Ms Cameron proposed bail conditions amounting to house arrest for Mr Gourlay to live with his partner.
Magistrate Michael Barko told the court the alleged messages were of a 'sexual, graphic nature' and would have raised 'great concern' for Ms Henderson.
The court also heard that Mr Gourlay had convictions for violence offences including assault and was on a community corrections order at the time of the alleged offending.
Mr Barko described the allegations as 'disturbing' and consistent with someone suffering a serious untreated mental health condition.
He said it appeared Mr Gourlay was 'besotted and obsessed, one might say in an unremitting matter' with Ms Henderson.
He refused to grant Mr Gourlay bail because he did not have a proposed mental health treatment plan or regime which would address his serious mental health problems.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
27 minutes ago
- ABC News
Central Queensland man charged over alleged image of children bound with duct tape
A Central Queensland man has been charged after allegedly duct-taping two children, pointing a gun at them, and sending the image to multiple people. Detectives from Emerald Criminal Investigation Branch were investigating illegal weapons and illicit drugs on an Emerald property in May when they seized a mobile phone. Forensic testing on the phone revealed an alleged photograph of two children, both three years old, bound with duct tape and a gun being pointed at them. Police said the children were known to the man, but not related. Police allege the photograph was sent to several other people. Detectives were able to identify the children and make sure they were safe. A 44-year-old Emerald man, who police allege was pointing the gun in the picture, was charged on July 17 with unlawful possession of category H firearms, dangerous conduct with weapon and two counts of deprivation of liberty. He has been given strict bail conditions and will appear before the Emerald Magistrates Court on August 26.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘Drop the knife': Footage emerges of northern Melbourne arrest
Footage of a knife-wielding man being tasered and arrested in Melbourne's north has emerged. The video was filmed on Monday night as police detained the man, in his 40s, at a commercial precinct in Coolaroo. The arrest comes after knife attacks at Melbourne shopping centres over the weekend, one of which resulted in a man having his hand amputated. In this latest incident, a man is filmed calmly walking through a carpark as police shout at him to drop the knife. Police were initially called to Motto Drive about 6pm to reports of a man with a knife behaving erratically. In the 85s clip – posted to social media – he walks cooly across the carpark as sirens blare. Police then taser him, and a member of the public kicks him as the police pile on top. A member of the public picks up the knife, which appears to be a wooden-handled hunting knife, about 20cm in length. A police spokesperson said officers were called to reports of an armed man behaving erratically outside a youth centre. 'Police arrived and attempted to intercept a white Toyota SUV in a carpark before the driver got out of the vehicle wielding a knife,' the spokesperson said. 'A Taser was deployed and the man was arrested. 'A 43-year-old Craigieburn man was conveyed to a police station for interview.' Police want any witnesses to come forward. Over the weekend, two knife attacks occurred at Melbourne shopping centres – one in nearby Broadmeadows, and one in the southwestern suburb of Altona Meadows. At the Altona Meadows incident on Saturday about 8pm, a 33-year-old man was set upon, his arm was allegedly slashed with a machete, and the assailants took his phone. The Herald Sun reports the male victim had the lower part of an arm amputated at the Royal Melbourne Hospital on Sunday. The second incident occurred in the northern suburb of Broadmeadows on Sunday about 6.30pm. Police were called to Broadmeadows Central after a 17-year-old male was stabbed. He sustained critical injuries.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Retired WA police officer says he will never forget aftermath of fatal crashes
Memories of twisted metal, the crunch of glass beneath heavy boots and an eerie stillness settling over a dark, country road still play regularly in the mind of retired police officer Graham Chitty after four decades. A car had rolled and killed an 18-year-old passenger, and it was up to the then-senior constable to break the news to her family. "The lights were off as I approached her parents' farm," he said. "As I got closer, the lights came on and all the family raced out — they were yelling 'happy birthday' and 'surprise'. The 77-year-old, who spent most of his working life on the traffic beat in regional Western Australia, said this was one of the hardest parts of the job. He said people's reactions ranged from shock to anger, and that some physically lashed out in despair. "You had to show compassion, but you had to switch off and say, 'Well, this is part of the job and we have to do it,'" Mr Chitty said. "Some just broke down, cried and even fainted. "When I went home, I would sit on the bed with my wife to debrief. And then the next day, you're up and away again." Some of Mr Chitty's worst memories of fatal car crashes have resurfaced as WA goes through one of its worst years on record for road deaths. In 2025 so far, 120 people have died on the state's roads. About half of the incidents happened in regional areas. Mr Chitty's advice to motorists was to know their vehicle and always drive to the conditions. "All I can say is, just learn to drive correctly and remember you're driving a lethal weapon that kills," he said. In 1997, Mr Chitty launched a road safety program in Bridgetown. The Mystery Tour of Life took high school students through every step of the aftermath of a fatal car crash. Mr Chitty said he wanted to reiterate to young drivers the realities of what could happen behind the wheel. He said some teenagers fainted. "We copped a bit of flak when we first started because people thought we were being too hard on the kids," Mr Chitty said. "But I said, 'I'm not backing off, this is life.' "And in 13 years, there were still fatalities out of Bridgetown, but none of them were the kids involved with the Mystery Tour of Life, and I was quite happy with that." The program has run for the past two decades in conjunction with St John WA, WA Police and Bridgetown Volunteer Fire and Rescue. Since retiring from the police force, Mr Chitty has spent the past 15 years as a bus driver, taking students to school in the country town of Manjimup. Some of the students on the bus are children of people Mr Chitty used to assess for a driver's licence — a task that used to be within a regional police officer's remit. "Sometimes they get on the bus and say, 'Oh, it's you Chitty', and I go, 'Yep,'" Mr Chitty laughed. "I was always quite hard on them because I was the one who used to go to the prangs.
