Michelle Sweeney arrested for allegedly threatening Minister Emma Davidson’s office

A small business owner has been arrested for allegedly threatening the Mental Health Minister’s office at the ACT’s Legislative Assembly and calling in a phony bomb threat.

Michelle Louise Sweeney is accused of menacing ACT’s Mental Health Minister Emma Davidson’s office with threats and saying she would bring ‘explosives’ to the ACT Legislative Assembly. Picture: Martin Ollman/Facebook

A Narrabundah woman has been banned from being near the ACT Legislative Assembly after allegedly threatening the territory’s mental health minister and saying she was going to bomb Canberra’s city centre.

Despite concerns from the prosecution in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday, Michelle Louise Sweeney was granted bail for allegedly menacing Mental Health Minister Emma Davidson’s staff among other concerning threats to police.

Police facts before the court say the 39-year-old allegedly emailed the office five times and called at least 52 times, in one voicemail on September 21 saying she would attend the office with “explosives”.

During a voicemail left at the minister’s office, the Narrabundah woman allegedly said words to the effect of “I’m going to visit you”, “who is gonna bring in this gas” and “who made all the mistakes, you made all the mistakes”.

Police say Ms Davidson spoke to officers and was concerned about her staff not feeling safe enough to go the office after being allegedly “threatened”.

ACT Greens Member for Murrumbidgee Emma Davidson. Picture: Facebook

In another call Sweeney allegedly spoke to the ACT Police Operations centre and said she was in the city centre and was “going to plant a bomb”.

Her phone was triangulated to her home in Narrabundah where she was swiftly arrested with capsicum spray after refusing to leave her kitchen.

The Legislative Assembly building in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In court on Friday, duty lawyer Brandon Bodel said Sweeney needed mental health treatment in the community which could ameliorate any risks to the public.

Mr Bodel said Sweeney had stopped taking her medication for her mental health conditions which was when the alleged offences began.

Pointing to the alleged bomb threat in police facts, Mr Bodel said it appeared Sweeney was “blowing off steam” as she wasn’t in the city at all when police traced her mobile.

Special magistrate Rebecca Christensen granted the small online business owner bail under strict conditions which meant not being near the ACT Legislative Assembly and not contacting Ms Davidson.

“Don’t go anywhere near it,” Ms Christensen said to Sweeney who was appearing by video from the Alexander Maconochie Centre.

Her matter was adjourned to a later date on charges of assaulting a frontline community service provider, using a carriage service to menace or cause offence and causing public mischief.

When approached by this publication on whether the government was doing enough help those suffering from severe mental health, a spokesman for Ms Davidson declined to comment.