Stefan Eracleous: Melbourne man charged with online abuse of Lidia Thorpe
A man accused of sending harassing emails to senator Lidia Thorpe and “defacing” a flag outside her office has appeared in court.
A Melbourne man accused of sending harassing emails to senator Lidia Thorpe has appeared in court after the Australian Federal Police raided his home.
Stefan Eracleous, 32, briefly appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning as charges were formally entered and a timeline set down for his case.
Mr Eracleous, who has links to the neo-Nazi group National Socialist Network, was charged by detectives from the AFP National Security Investigations team on Friday last week after police executed a search warrant at his Mernda home.
He is facing one count of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, an offence that carries a maximum jail term of five years if convicted.
Police will allege Senator Thorpe’s electoral office reported receiving harassing emails and an abusive phone call earlier this month.
It is also alleged Mr Eracleous “defaced” a flag at her electoral office.
According to charge sheets, Mr Eracleous allegedly contacted Ms Thorpe in a manner a reasonable person would regard as being harassing, between October 2 and November 14.
In court, magistrate Olivia Trumble gave police until January 8 to serve a brief of evidence on his lawyers.
He will return to court on February 19.
National Security Investigations teams were established by the AFP in September to “target groups and individuals causing high levels of harm to Australia’s social cohesion, including the targeting of federal parliamentarians”.
Assistant Commissioner Matthew Gale said the AFP “supports freedom of speech and political expression” but took all reports regarding the safety and security of parliamentarians seriously.
“We are putting on notice any individual or group attempting to erode our country’s social fabric by advocating hatred and fear,” he said.
“Whether offending occurs online or in-person, the AFP will use its unique capabilities and legislation to collect intelligence and evidence and prosecute those who seek to harm our community.”
Mr Gale said referrals had soared 63 per cent over the past four years.
In the 2024-25 financial year alone, the AFP received at least 951 referrals for “threats against parliamentarians”.
Originally published as Stefan Eracleous: Melbourne man charged with online abuse of Lidia Thorpe
