MP accuses NSW Police of leaking ‘confidential details’

Sydney MP Alex Greenwich has accused the NSW Police of breaching his privacy by leaking details to the media about a court case in which a member of the public is accused of sending threatening emails to him, saying he feared it would result in more abuse from copycats.

On Friday, The Daily Telegraph published an article about a 69-year-old man who is due to face court next week after he was charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.

Independent Sydney MP Alex GreenwichCredit: Joe Armao

The arrest related to a series of offensive emails allegedly sent to Greenwich earlier this week.

While Greenwich was not critical of the Telegraph, he took umbrage with the police for informing the journalist about the matter without his consent, saying he had wanted the matter to remain out of the public domain.

“Unfortunately in my time in public office, and particularly over the last 20 months, I’ve received a great deal of this type of content [and] in my experience this sort of thing can lead to some copycat issues,” he said.

“I had not told a number of family members and staff about the incident [and] it should be up to the victim of any crime to decide whether it is put in the public domain or not. It has consequences for an individual’s health and wellbeing.”

The NSW Police and the Telegraph journalist have been contacted for comment.

While court lists are public, it is the name of the accused — not the alleged victim — which is displayed. But, because police took out an apprehended violence order on Greenwich’s behalf, his name is publicly available.

Greenwich, however, said he had been told a “source” within the police had informed the journalist about the matter. He said the force should have informed him before providing details about the case to the journalist. He said he would refer the matter to the NSW police watchdog, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

“I work hard to encourage members of the LGBTIQ community targeted by hate speech and hate crimes to report it to the police,” he said.

“Obviously, the fact that I now have personal experience of police breaching my privacy gives me great concern about policing practices when it comes to supporting the LGBTIQ community.”

Greenwich – an independent MP and influential member of the NSW crossbench who has been successful in passing a number of significant reforms including legislation which made voluntary assisted dying legal in the state – has long been a target for homophobic attacks.

In 2023, a court heard that an offensive social media post by former NSW One Nation leader Mark Latham over which Greenwich successfully sued for defamation had triggered a wave of “despicable homophobic and other abuse”.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.