Christian Vanderhaar: Pleads guilty to breaching AVO, intimidating police

A father drove around Murwillumbah with a banner saying ‘parental alienation is child abuse’ forcing a childcare centre into lockdown

A Gold Coast dad has been refused bail after he drove outside his child’s kindergarten with a sign saying ‘parental alienation is child abuse’ forcing the centre into lockdown.

Christian Vanderhaar, 44, previously pleaded guilty in Tweed Heads Local Court to intimidating police and two counts of contravening an apprehended violence order.

According to police facts, on May 11, 2021 Vanderhaar traveled to a Murwillumbah early learning centre his child attended where he was seen by staff with a banner that said “Parental alienation is child abuse” driving past the centre at a slow speed sounding his horn.

Staff took all the children inside and contacted police and began lockdown procedures.

The victim – the mother of the child – was made aware and went to the centre to check on her child.

While driving towards the centre, she saw Vanderhaar driving the opposite direction before he did a u turn causing her to pull over until he passed before the same thing happened again on another street.

She escaped by going down laneways before calling police.

Vanderhaar was arrested on Wollumbin St and was heard in the back of the police car on a phone call saying “I told them babe, the cops that I’ll be back, I’ll come back tomorrow and drive around again, I’ll keep doing it. I might even stay the night. I don‘t have clothes but that's ok, I’ll stay and get up in the morning and drive around again. I’m not giving up I’ll do this until I die.”

At the police station he declined to be interviewed and said he was a victim of parental alienation and denied driving to the child care centre or following the victim.

He talked over police and denied following the victim while blaming her for his problems.

He breached a no contact order with the court again on April 13 when he mailed a letter to the child with photos of himself and cash in it.

According to the police facts, Vanderhaar attended court where he told a police officer in charge of the case “you’ve got yours coming” upon entering the foyer on May 10, 2022.

When the court adjourned for morning tea he was seen recording the officer leaving the courtroom and was asked by the sheriff to show him his phone which he declined and walked outside.

The sheriff asked again and Vanderhaar started yelling causing his solicitor and the police officer to come outside to make sure it didn’t escalate.

He yelled at the officer “Flash Gordon over here is getting his pants up because I put a big Google post up about him and his family, aren’t you Flash Gordon?” at this time pointing his fingers and waving his arm towards the officer.

The statement made him concerned for the victim as he was unaware of any Google posts especially that may involve his family.

He was taken to the interview room by his solicitor where he continued to yell and shout at his solicitor, so much so the registrar requested the door be kept open for safety purposes.

In court on Tuesday Vanderhaar’s lawyer applied for bail stating he believed his client’s time in custody on remand would exceed the likely penalty.

The police prosecutor disagreed noting there were only 13 days left until his sentencing date.

Magistrate Peter Bugden agreed Vanderhaar was facing a longer jail sentence than the time he’d spent in custody and refused his bail.

The matter is next before the court on June 27 where he is expected to be sentenced.