Former Narrabri Council IT manager Wannividulige Perera pleads guilty attempted intimidation, hacking computer system

A council manager – whose unwanted romantic advances towards a younger female colleague saw him lose his job – has faced court after hacking into council’s IT system to delete emails and screenshots.

Wannividulige Piyoe Perera leaving Parramatta Local Court on March 30. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

A council IT manager whose repeated unwanted romantic advances at an employee half his age saw him forced to quit his job, has been convicted of hacking into his former workplace’s computer systems to w incriminating emails.

Wannividulige Piyoe Perera, 58, of Westmead, pleaded guilty at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday to attempted intimidation, as well as accessing and modifying unauthorised data.

For almost a decade, Perera was employed as an IT manager at Narrabri Council in the NSW North West Slopes region.

Agreed police facts reveal after a number of years working together Perera “developed romantic feelings” for a 21-year-old employee who reported to him. Those feelings weren’t reciprocated.

For months Perera harrassed the employee, from unnecessary errands to inappropriate comments, to the point she took stress leave.

Wannividulige Piyoe Perera leaving Parramatta Local Court on March 30. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

When he was confronted by the employee about his behaviour and warned he would be reported Perera replied, laughing: “HR won’t do anything”, court documents state.

But, following an internal investigation, Perera was told by the council in late 2021 he would resign or be fired, and was “force marched” out of the offices.

Throughout the following month, Perera continued to access to work computer systems and used a former employee’s login information to reset his own security access.

Using his IT knowledge, Perera repeatedly gained access to the council computer systems, agreed facts reveal, and deleted at least 170 email messages and almost 80 contacts.

Using another manager’s login, Perera also accessed the council’s CCTV system and deleted messages about his behaviour – including screenshots – sent by the victim to the HR manager.

Investigations later carried out by the council revealed Perera had gone as far as to delete an archive of the messages, which contained screenshots of messages he sent the victim.

A second archive was later recovered by the investigators.

Parramatta Local Court.

Perera’s lawyer told the court the IT professional had only tried to gain access to personal information.

“He did not compromise any core systems,” Perera’s lawyer said. “He did not interfere with business accounts, or planning or approval.

“He was shocked by what the victim had said in her emails, after he accessed them.”

Perera’s lawyer said his client faced limited job prospects if convicted, and the harassment was an “amateurish” attempt at courtship.

“This was not a case of fraud – it is because he is a fool,” Perera’s lawyer said. “His conduct was a naive and amateurish attempt to woo a younger woman, and he failed.

“He repeatedly told me some cultural difference might have played a part. That is a reason why he did not back off.”

The extent of Perera’s harassment is revealed in the agreed police facts.

As the victim’s superior, Perera often arranged for their pair to go on errands together.

While on an “unnecessary” errand, Perera told his female subordinate she’d “been looking sexy lately”.

He would also often send inappropriate messages to the victim, including: “You smell nice”.

While on leave, he continued to call the victim and told her he loved her. He would also send images with quotes about love and relationships.

In sentencing, Magistrate Cate Follent said Perera was motivated by self-protection.

“Your actions were highly calculated and well planned,” she said. “It also involved a significant breach of trust given the employer, employee relationship.”

Perrera was convicted and sentenced to a 12-month community correction order for accessing unauthorised data, and a two-year conditional release order for the intimidation.