Historic trial set for former East Hills staffer Jim Daniel over pamphlets smearing Labor candidate Cameron Murphy

A trial date has been set for former NSW Liberal Party staffer Jamil “Jim” Daniel over alleged electoral breaches.

A trial date has been set for former Liberal Party staffer Jamil “Jim” Daniel.

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A TRIAL date has been set for former NSW Liberal Party staffer Jamil “Jim” Daniel, accused of distributing pamphlets falsely smearing a Labor candidate as a supporter of “the rights of paedophiles” days before the 2015 State Election.

The former campaign manager to sitting East Hills MP Glenn Brookes is facing allegations that he distributed flyers which wrongly smeared Labor candidate Cameron Murphy as supporting “the rights of paedophiles” and which did not declare an author or where they were printed.

Mr Daniel, 30, who pleaded not guilty in May, was not present in Downing Centre Local Court yesterday when Magistrate Greg Grogin set down a five day trial between December 12-16.

It will be the first criminal case prosecuted by the NSW Electoral Commission since it received the powers to do so in December 2014.

In court, Mr Daniel’s lawyer, Mikaela Eldridge, initially argued for a six-eight day trial because of a long list of witnesses, 25, which will be called for the landmark case. Eighteen of these will be called by the NSWEC.

Mr Daniel (right) is the ex-campaign manager to now independent East Hills MP Glenn Brookes (left).

In documents tendered in court, Mr Daniel is accused of “distributing by placing in letterboxes” pamphlets on Dernancourt Pde, Milperra between 10pm and 10.25pm on March 17 2015, 11 days before the NSW State Election.

The pamphlets, titled “stranger danger,” falsely accused then East Hills Labor candidate Cameron Murphy of supporting “the rights of paedophiles” and said he had “nothing wrong with the photographs of a naked minor”.

The material, which referenced the quotes in relation to Mr Murphy’s time as the President of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, went on to say “if a convicted rapist lived next door to you, would you want to know? Cameron Murphy doesn’t want you to”.

The NSWEC case claims this content “was capable of influencing” voters and the result of the seat’s election.

Mr Brookes won East Hills by 372 votes.