Security guard David Ghazawy sent threatening emails to senior staff

A security guard sent late-night sexual and violent death threats to former bosses, forcing one to hire personal security. GRAPHIC WARNING

A security officer made a mental health application in Sutherland Local Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend last year. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

A security officer who sent disturbing and depraved sexual and violent threats to three senior staff members has had his charges dismissed under mental health grounds.

David Ghazawy, 40, made a mental health application in Sutherland Local Court on Monday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend last year.

Agreed facts said Ghazawy, who lives at Colyton near Penrith, was employed with GS4 Security Services as a security officer and was terminated in 2020.

On October 4 last year, the security service sent an email to all current and past employees stating there had been a data breach where personal information may have leaked.

About 4.30am on October 5, Ghazawy sent an email from his personal address to a male senior staff member’s work email address which contained sexual threats of violence and death towards the man and his family.

David Ghazawy at court last year. Picture: Ashleigh Tullis

The threats scared the man so much he sent the rest of his family to a holiday house and hired two private security guards for his protection.

Later that day, the man forwarded the email to two other senior employees also mentioned in the email.

Ghazawy sent another email about 1am on October 6 to the three senior employees and several other employees.

Ghazawy said he thought about “dousing” one man’s family in “petrol and lighting a match”.

“Oh, how they burn,” he added before saying he had the man’s home address and threatened to visit while the man was at work.

Ghazawy also wrote threats about a female senior employee.

“I do lament that such an explosion would blow you into tiny pieces, depriving all of us of an experience where someone would take a crowbar and bash your f---ing head in again and again,” he said.

Ghazawy then suggested one of the email recipients “take a knife” and insert it into the other’s spinal cord.

The victims reported the emails to Sutherland police and Ghazawy was arrested on October 6.

In court, defence lawyer Natalija Labanc submitted Ghazawy’s charges should be dismissed under mental health grounds due to her client’s documented issues, adding her client could be monitored by his treating psychologist and psychiatrist.

She noted Ghazawy had started a new job in security three weeks ago and submitted he could lose his job if he was convicted.

Magistrate Paul Lyon said the allegations were of a “sexual nature” and “unusual” noting Ghazawy’s major psychiatrist problems could mean he was a “danger to the community” or were the reason for his “bizarre” behaviour.

He accepted Ghazawy had taken “positive steps” and completed six months of psychological treatment.

Mr Lyon accepted Ghazawy had no criminal history and was an intelligent man having completing university degrees.

Mr Lyon agreed to dismiss the charges and Ghazawy was directed to attend psychological and psychiatric appointments for six months.