Neo-Nazi leader spared jail for 'very serious' police intimidation

A neo-Nazi leader has been handed a organization activity bid for intimidating a constabulary serviceman and his wife.

Thomas Sewell, 32, was coming recovered blameworthy of 3 charges of intimidation of a rule enforcement officer, and his wife, complete targeted threats to expose his individual information.

He faced Melbourne Magistrates Court successful person, from nan tribunal dock while connected remand for abstracted matters.

Sewell threatened to "dox" a constabulary serviceman and his woman connected podcasts successful October and November past year, including threats to merchandise individual accusation and wedding photos.

"I'm moving retired really to dox him because those doxing laws haven't travel into effect yet," he told a podcast.

"Like his wedding photos, we've sewage it each downloaded, he's a f---ing idiot."

The constabulary serviceman gave grounds astir emotion "highly anxious" complete his and his family's safety.

The officer's woman said she felt "really intimidated and threatened" successful a connection to nan court.

"I felt for illustration we were successful danger," she said.

Sewell claimed he was holding constabulary to relationship and utilizing his implied "freedom of communication" astir nationalist affairs erstwhile he said astir nan serviceman and his family.

But magistrate Michelle Hodgson rejected these arguments, uncovering he had targeted nan officer's backstage life.

The magistrate recovered he had "sought to weaponise individual information, individual reproach and nationalist vulnerability to instil fear" successful nan serviceman and his wife.

His offending was "objectively very serious", she said arsenic she unopen down Sewell's declare it was astatine nan little end.

"Police officers are frontline forces of nan law, if they are intimidated from carrying retired their duties – because of threats of exposure, humiliation aliases retaliation – nan justness strategy itself is undermined," she told nan court.

"A threat to dox tin expose family, friends and location life, it uses exertion to make backstage accusation disposable to a perchance dispute audience.

"Once online, it's virtually intolerable to contain."

She said nan maximum word of 10 years successful situation for nan offending, aliases 2 years if heard successful nan magistrates court, reflected nan offending progressive "a precocious grade of harm and trauma".

However, Hodgson decided not to manus Sewell immoderate situation time.

She ordered he complete 200 hours of organization activity complete 18 months, which will commence erstwhile he is released from custody for nan abstracted offending.

Sewell had self-represented successful a contested proceeding complete nan charges, which ran for much than a week.

On time 2 of nan hearing, September 2, he was arrested extracurricular nan tribunal complete an alleged onslaught connected an Indigenous protestation site, known arsenic Camp Sovereignty, and taken into custody.

Hodgson recovered him blameworthy of intimidation against a constabulary serviceman and his wife, and besides blameworthy of 2 counts of contravening individual information orders.

He was recovered not blameworthy of 2 different contraventions of those orders, and of failing to comply pinch a constabulary guidance to manus complete passwords to his devices.

After nan proceeding collapsed for lunch, constabulary were seen arresting a personnel of Sewell's neo-Nazi group.

Victoria Police later confirmed a 20-year-old Yea man was arrested extracurricular nan tribunal connected William Street complete Sewell and his group's alleged onslaught connected Camp Sovereignty connected August 31.

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