Miner Kevin Vincent Barr jailed for stalking, blackmail with sex tape

A BHP mine supervisor who stalked two women at the same time has been convicted of 2018 acts of stalking and harassment and abuse, having also secretly recorded a sex video and then using it to blackmail one of his victims.

A BHP boss not stalked two women about the same time, he secretly recorded a sex video and then used it to blackmail one of his victims.

A BHP mine supervisor who stalked two women about the same time, secretly recorded a sex video and then used it to blackmail one of his victims.

Kevin Vincent Barr, 43, fronted Rockhampton District Court to be sentenced for stalking two women, carrying out about 2000 acts of stalking, intimidation or abuse between the pair across a four-month period in 2023.

Crown prosecutor Monique Bros-Wilshire said he frequently contacted both women, insulted them, harassed them and degraded them.

She said the first woman was someone he had known for two years prior to the 35-day stalking period in June and July 2023.

She said Barr repeatedly contacted this victim on Facebook using a fake account, sending 155 messages to her business page account.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said the victim did not respond to any of them.

She said Barr also attempted to call her and when she was setting up a stall at a market, he approached her.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said after that, Barr left reviews on her business Facebook page under a fake name, “accusing her of not being a domestic violence survivor” and accused her family members of being drug users, among other allegations.

She said the victim made four complaints to police about Barr’s actions.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said Barr carried out 150 acts of stalking and harassment towards this victim before he was arrested and charged in August.

Barr met his second victim months earlier, in February that year.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said Barr’s behaviour towards the second victim escalated about July 20, 2023, when the victim met with a male friend for lunch at Emu Park.

She said Barr arrived and angrily questioned her about what was going on.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said the victim left in a car, but Barr followed and they had a roadside argument.

Later that night, Barr secretly filmed the victim while she was having sex and later threatened to distribute the video.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said when the victim asked him to delete the video, Barr responded: “I needed to f*** you over because you were going to f*** me over, it does not matter” and that it didn’t matter how he got the video as he “wasn’t playing Mr Nice Guy anymore”.

“She was terrified to call the police because the defendant might share that intimate video of her or that he may have other recordings that she didn’t know about,” she said.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said Barr once grabbed the victim’s phone and keys and locked himself inside a bathroom to go through her phone, photographing messages and photographs she sent to others including one intimate photo of herself.

Barr emerged moments later, threw the phone at her and yelled at her, calling her derogatory names including ‘slut’ and kicked her out of the building.

As she step through the door, Barr shoved her in the back, causing her to fall to the ground.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said the defendant threw her keys at her and she left, shaking, scared and crying.

She said Barr carried out 1868 acts of stalking, harassment, intimidation and abuse against this victim over a 46-day period in August and September, including 58 calls and 1523 text messages.

Four of those calls and 102 of those messages were from one day alone.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said the victim changed phone numbers in August and Barr then used Facebook messenger, email and Snapchat to send her messages.

She said after she blocked him from those applications, he then started using application BHP workers use for communication to send her messages.

Barr also arrived at her accommodation one night, banged on her door and yelled out at her “Who is in the room? One of your Tinder boys?”

“She didn’t feel safe,” Ms Bros-Wilshire said.

She said the victim had to relocate from her accommodation out of fear of him returning.

“She’s had trouble sleeping and eating,” Ms Bros-Wilshire said.

“She’s had trouble with her health and noticeable amounts of weight being lost and family worry for her.

“She speaks of not being able to reside in her home due to no longer feeling safe.”

Ms Bros-Wilshire said.the victim did not go to the gym anymore and “no longer does the things that she once loved”.

“She speaks about the struggle to get out of bed in the morning and to get to sleep at night,” the Crown prosecutor said.

“She feels trapped and cannot move forward or begin to heal, having lost trust in all humans and constantly questioning those around her.

“She felt like she couldn’t really leave home because she didn’t know where the defendant would be.”

Ms Bros-Wilshire said when police arrested him, he was argumentative, raised his voice and ran off with his phone once advised they would be seizing it.

She said he smashed it against a sink before throwing it in a toilet.

Ms Bros-Wilshire said Barr had a history of not complying with court orders and he was on a probation order at the time of these offences for offences against the first victim, some of which was similar behaviour.

He was also on bail for offences against the first victim when he carried out the offences against the second victim.

Defence barrister Nicholas Brown said his client had since participated in a men’s behaviour program and reports to a psychotherapist through videolink.

He said the qualified diesel fitter had previously worked at Glencore Oakey Creek coal mine and for Theiss mining before working for BHP.

Mr Brown said after Barr was charged and spent 35 days in presentence custody, he was bailed to live in Birdsville with his father initially, but had his bail varied to live in Townsville for a period before returning to Birdsville.

He said Barr worked at the Simpson Desert Oasis Road House, using his skills in machinery operation and road building, as well as working in the shop, kitchen and bar.

Mr Brown said his client, a father-of-three, had since started his own mechanics business.

Judge Jeff Clarke described Barr’s behaviour as “thoroughly disgraceful conduct”, particularly that of taking video and photographs which he later used to blackmail his second victim.

He said Barr even threatened to tell a man’s wife her husband was sleeping with one of Barr’s victims as part of his “possession, control and dominance” over these women.

Barr pleaded guilty to two counts each of threatening to distribute intimate images, assault and stalking, harassment, intimidation and abuse along with one count each of damaging evidence, and making recordings in breach of privacy.

He was sentenced to 3.5 years prison to serve eight months, with 35 days presentence custody declared as time already served, and an operational period of four years.