Natalie Hatton pleads guilty to breaching domestic violence order

A woman searching for answers about the death of her mother 45 years ago took Facebook posts about her campaign too far, landing her in court. See why

Natalie Hatton, 46, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a DVO when she faced Hervey Bay Magistrates Court in April 2025.

A woman searching for answers about the death of her mother took Facebook posts about her campaign too far, a court has heard, resulting in her being fined for breaching domestic violence orders.

Natalie Hatton, 46, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a DVO when she faced Hervey Bay Magistrates Court in April 2025.

Stalking charges against Hatton were dropped during the court proceedings.

Hatton had been charged over her Facebook campaign challenging the story she grew up with about her mother, Julie Hatton, dying by suicide at the age of 22 on October 1, 1979.

Her online posts aggravated family members, including her father and stepmother.

Hatton learned of her mother’s death when she was 10 years old, when a family member sat her down and revealed her mother was not who she thought she was.

She was told her real mother was the Gold Coast-born Julie Hatton, who had died by gunshot to the head at the family farm, Darreen, in the North Burnett when Natalie was a newborn.

After Hatton started investigating her mother’s death, the Attorney-General launched a coronial investigation into Julie’s death in 2023.

However, since then, a series of Facebook posts regarding the matter landed Hatton before court in Hervey Bay.

Police prosecutor Louise McConnell said a fine would be appropriate for the offending.

Natalie Hatton's mum Julie Hatton died in 1979.

She said Hatton had previously been sentenced for breaching a DVO for similar offending.

The breach related to her stepmother and her father who had been named as the aggrieved, Ms O’Connell said.

It related to a Facebook page post and predated the current charges, she said.

The court heard Hatton had one daughter, lived alone and was working.

Hatton had previously worked in the cattle industry, but as a result of a dispute she was no longer working in that industry.

Ultimately, she hoped to get back into the industry, the court heard.

It was told that in relation to posts that had been put on Facebook, Hatton had done some investigating and ultimately found out the cause of death was the use of a long rifle, and her mother had “somehow shot herself in the head”, which was ruled a suicide.

“As anyone might react to that, it seems a bit suspicious and she’s been pushing for that to be investigated further since then,” Hatton’s legal representative said.

Natalie Hatton has spent years searching for answers about the death of her mother. Photo Paul Beutel.

That had led to issues within the family and restraining orders being sought, the court heard.

“That’s what’s in the background of all this,” the legal representative said.

“She’s very determined to seek out the truth of what happened to her mother and to try and get some justice for her mother.

“She accepts though that there are boundaries and rules in which you have to operate.”

Emotions and personal issues had bubbled over and had caused some of the posts to go beyond what was permitted, the court heard.

Magistrate Trinity McGarvie said social media posts were sometimes used to breach orders and intimidate victims.

She said Hatton had a difficult upbringing having lost her mum when she was young.

“You became aware of it later in life,” Ms McGarvie said.

She said Hatton was trying to obtain justice for her mother, but her “mechanism of doing that” was clearly a breach of the domestic violence protection order on two occasions.

“Clearly you shouldn’t have engaged in the behaviours in which you did, in sending those communications on Facebook and to lawyers and sons of the complainant in this matter, who is your stepmother.”

Hatton was fined a total of $400 and no convictions were recorded.