Kenneth Andrew Gillespie stands trial for allegedly threatening kill Premier Steven Marshall over Tafe SA reforms

The trial of a man accused of threatening to kill Premier Steven Marshall over TAFE SA reforms has heard of angry phone calls to the Premier’s office.

Kenneth Gillespie is standing trial accused of threatening to kill Premier Steven Marshall in 2018.

A man is standing trial accused of threatening to kill Premier Steven Marshall over TAFE SA reforms in 2018.

Kenneth Andrew Gillespie has pleaded not guilty to charges of threatening a public officer and threatening life over two phone calls made to Mr Marshall’s electoral office in September 2018.

The trial began on Wednesday before a jury.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Karen Ingleton told the jury the case centred around the two phone calls.

Kenneth Gillespie is standing trial accused of threatening to kill Premier Steven Marshall in 2018.

“On Thursday, September 6, 2018, at about 11.40 in the morning, an angry man calling himself Ken rang the electoral office of the Premier upset about a budget announcement that had been made by the government a few days earlier,” she said.

“The Budget announcement was the subject of a media release on September 4.

“The announcement was about how the government would fund their educational programs. To achieve savings, the Marshall government announced that it would close a number of TAFE campuses both in the metro and rural areas.”

The jury heard that from the outset of the first phone call, which was answered by electoral assistant Samuel Diprose, the caller, calling himself Ken, was ang­ry. “Ken … was angry about the plan to close TAFE campuses and he rang to complain,” Ms Ingleton said.

“Almost immediately, the caller’s behaviour over the phone was aggressive and swearing.

“He said things like, ‘If the Premier continues in his plan to close TAFE, I will kill the Premier and his children’.

“He made those comments two or three times during the phone call.”

The jury heard that the call lasted 50 seconds before the caller hung up. Mr Diprose called police at the counter-terrorism and security unit to warn them of the interaction and give them the caller’s number, which had appeared on the phone’s screen.

Ten minutes later, the phone rang again.

“It was the same number calling back,” Ms Ingleton said.

“This time the voice said his name was Craig and when he was asked for his last name he grew aggressive again,” Ms Ingleton told the jury.

“The person calling himself Craig said he would attend a rally with other tradies and that there would be tools.

“He made comments that if the Premier touched TAFE he would be forever sorry.”

The call lasted a minute before the caller once again hung up.

Ms Ingleton said it was the prosecution case that the man who made both the first and second call is Gillespie.

In cross examination by Gillespie’s legal team, Mr Diprose refuted claims that the caller had not made threats, but had complained about the privatisation of prisons.

“It is not very often you hear threats like that,” he said. “I won’t forget those words for a while.

The trial continues.