Gold Coast man Peter Edgar accused of making thousands of Facebook posts harassing Mick Doohan
A Gold Coast man is accused of harassing former motorbike racing world champion Mick Doohan, including posting about him getting wine deliveries for pop singer Adele.
Crime and Court
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A GOLD Coast man is accused of harassing former motorbike racing world champion Mick Doohan, including posting photos and thousands of comments about him.
One of them was about wine deliveries for pop singer Adele being made to Mr Doohan’s home, where the star was staying during the Brisbane leg of her national tour.
Peter Gerard Edgar allegedly made thousands of posts about Mr Doohan, who at the time was also chairman of Karting Australia, and Karting Australia CEO Kelvin O’Reilly, alleging corruption and incompetence.
The Southport Magistrates Court was told one of the posts included a picture, taken through a window of the North Burleigh Surf Club, of Mr Doohan and Mr O’Reilly at a Karting Australia meeting in May 2016.
Minutes later Edgar posted a picture of himself at the same surf club with the caption “Nice day for a lynching”, the court was told.
The posts were made on a Facebook group set up by Edgar called Federation of Australian Racing Karters Union.
Edgar told the court he was a reporter, despite not working for a media organisation and only posting on Facebook.
In another post, Edgar allegedly let the internet know a box of wine had been delivered to Mr Doohan’s home for pop singer Adele, who was staying there in 2017.
The court was told Mr Doohan was fearful because he did receive a wine delivery to his home that day.
Edgar also allegedly posted a photo of Mr Doohan and his son on a plane in Italy.
Edgar has pleaded not guilty in the Southport Magistrates Court to using a carriage service to menace and harass.
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On the second day of a three-day trial, the court was yesterday played video of an interview that lasted more than three hours between police and Edgar regarding the posts.
During the interview Edgar was asked about posts dating back to early 2016, in which he accused Mr O’Reilly and Mr Doohan of corruption, telling lies and giving good deals to mates.
Edgar told police what he was saying was the truth.
“It’s my hobby and my sport which I care deeply about,” he told them.
In his posts Edgar allegedly accused Mr Doohan of “trying to have me bashed”.
He told police: “I am reporting on their actions, I think their actions are terrible.
“Everything I have said is true, that’s what they did.”
Edgar was a national champion go-kart racer in the early 2000s before retiring in 2003 and worked as a reporter for a go karting magazine in the 1990s.
Edgar said he believed Mr Doohan and Mr O’Reilly had taken Karting Australia in the wrong direction and were ruining the sport.
The court heard Mr Doohan and Mr O’Reilly had also taken Edgar to court for defamation.
That case is yet to be determined.
The trial is expected to conclude today and Magistrate Gary Finger will then determine the outcome.
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