Bradley Justin Ernst: Stalker faces jail after twisted quest to reclaim lost pet

A man who went to extreme lengths to find and harass his former housemate has claimed he wanted to be reunited with his beloved dog. Read the details here.

Bradley Justin Ernst, 31, was sentenced in Southport District Court for unlawfully stalking his former housemate. Picture: Svetlana Evgrafova/iStock

A man has claimed stalking his ex-housemate at his workplace and home was part of a drastic effort to reclaim his dog.

Accused Bradley Justin Ernst used an AirTag tracking device planted on the other man’s car to find his home address on August 6, 2021.

The Southport District Court was told the victim received a phone notification overnight saying “the AirTag is moving with you” as the 31-year-old was using the device to find his location.

The victim found the tracking device on the car’s exterior and destroyed it.

The court heard Ernst then sent a male associate to his victim’s house the next day, who told the victim he was there to take his dog.

Ernst’s victim refused to hand over his pet, and was told the man knew where he lived and could come back at any time.

The man left in a dark-coloured BMW, later traced back to Ernst, the court heard.

The court was told Ernst first owned the dog when he and his victim lived together in 2014, but the other man offered to cover veterinary bills and care for the dog when it got sick the next year.

Defence barrister Nick McGhee said his client felt “very passionately about” and close to his former pet, and struggled to cope with losing custody of the dog several years earlier.

“The (psych) report finds he was struggling from depression at the time, and that was also complicated against a background of polysubstance abuse,” Mr McGhee said.

“It is quite a complex mental health constellation of issues that he has.”

Ernst’s victim had changed his address and limited social interactions since the offending out of fear, the court heard.

Judge Jodie Wooldridge said Ernst had already been convicted of assaulting the victim and damaging his car in 2016.

“You harboured considerable resentment towards what had been your dog now living with the complainant,” Judge Wooldridge said.

“In June, 2018, you told a staff member at community corrections that you intended to put a GPS tracker on the complainant’s car, so you could find out where he lived and steal back your dog.

“I accept there were no overt threats of violence, (but) it was not a momentary lapse in judgment - there was some thinking and planning in the use of a tracking device and third party.”

Judge Wooldridge said Ernst had made progress since returning to custody, and had prospects of rehabilitation upon his release.

Ernst pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful stalking.

He was sentenced to six months’ jail with immediate parole eligibility.