Police Commissioner Grant Stevens condemns “vile” email sent after Charlie’s tragic death

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has broken his silence about the distress caused by a “vile” email received hours after his son Charlie’s tragic death. Find out what it said.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has spoken for the first time about the “significant distress” caused by a “vile” email sent to him just hours after the tragic death of his 18-year-old son Charlie.

The heartbroken father, who previously described leaving his youngest son’s side for the last time as the “hardest thing” he’s ever had to do, has broken his silence after the email’s sender was recently convicted and sentenced in court.

The three-word message – “sucked in c*** – was sent to Mr Stevens’ police email account on November 18, 2023, the day after the news broke that Charlie had died after being hit by a car during Schoolies celebrations at Goolwa.

Charlie had suffered multiple injuries, including an irreversible brain injury, and died the following night at Flinders Medical Centre.

The man behind the email, from Millicent, was recently convicted of using a carriage service in a harassing or offensive way.

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens has opened up about a “vile” email he received just hours after the tragic death of his son Charlie. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

In an emotional statement to the Sunday Mail, Mr Stevens revealed the lasting impact of the message.

“This deeply offensive and hurtful message was sent to me within hours of the loss of my son, causing significant distress,” he said.

“The nature of this vile message was beyond what anyone would expect, regardless of their occupation.”

The Police Commissioner is now urging others who receive “abhorrent” electronic abuse to speak up and report it.

“Anyone who receives abhorrent material such as this, should report it to police if they are offended or the content causes distress or harm,” he said.

The man charged with sending the email – who is also a father himself – appeared in Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on July 14.

The court heard he sent the email after learning of Charlie’s death from media reports, according to the ABC.

Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos said: “It is submitted that the hypothetical reasonable person would be shocked, outraged and disgusted at your behaviour”.

She noted that in his police interview, he showed “no remorse or understanding of the gravity of your actions”, even questioning why police were investigating.

He has since reportedly written an apology to Mr Stevens and been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder and impulsive aggressive disorder.

He was sentenced to 150 hours of community service to be completed within 12 months and ordered to pay $512 in prosecution costs.

The offence carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail or an $18,780 fine.

“This deeply offensive and hurtful message was sent to me within hours of the loss of my son, causing significant distress,” Mr Stevens said. Picture: Supplied

Law Society of South Australia president Marissa Mackie said while prosecuting a charge on the basis of a single email was rare, the message sent to Mr Stevens likely fell under the type of communication the law intended to stamp out.

“It is certainly more common for charges to be laid against people suspected of sending multiple messages that, for example, constitute a sustained pattern of harassment or intimidation,” she said.

“That being said, it is likely that the offensive email sent to the Police Commissioner falls under the types of communication that this law is intended to capture.”

Ms Mackie said in a 2013 High Court case, “the court determined that for communication to reach the level of offensive, the degree of offensiveness must be serious and provoke significant outrage in the mind of a reasonable person”.

The teen who hit and killed Charlie Stevens pleaded guilty to aggravated driving without due care and leaving the scene of an accident after causing death.

He received a suspended sentence last October and was disqualified from driving for 10 years.

Originally published as Police Commissioner Grant Stevens condemns “vile” email sent after Charlie’s tragic death