Shock alleged find after man accused of stalking radio queen
A man who allegedly stalked radio star Jackie O Henderson was found outside her home with an improvised weapon, a court has heard.
Breaking News
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A man charged with stalking radio queen Jackie O Henderson was found outside her Sydney home with a bolt in a sock, a court has been told.
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.
Originally published as Shock alleged find after man accused of stalking radio queen
‘Drop the knife’: Footage of Taser arrest
Video of a dramatic arrest has surfaced after police tasered a knife-wielding man who was behaving erratically.
‘Knee cooked’: Kyrgios blow before major return
A doubles defeat doesn’t sound much like a return of significance but for Nick Kyrgios it was a stepping stone to the US Open after another knee issue.