Kyabram dad fined, fired after following ex on Instagram

A Kyabram dad has been fined and fired from his job after following his ex on Instagram.

A Kyabram dad has lost his job and been fined after following his ex on Instagram, a court has heard.

The man, who cannot be named, appeared in Bendigo Magistrates’s Court to plead guilty to violating a two-year-old court order in January.

Court documents said the Kyabram man and his ex ended their three-year relationship only eight weeks after the birth of their son.

The man was issued a family violence intervention order in 2018 stopping him from contacting or following his ex who was given custody of the child.

Details of his offending were not heard in court but two and a half years later he sent her a follow request on Instagram on Thursday January 28.

The woman reported the violation three days later to Bendigo police.

The Kyabram man said he was not trying to stalk his ex by following her on social media.

“(It was) purely to just try and get access to my son,” he said.

Magistrate Susan Wakeling said that click had shaken the woman’s trust that victims of family violence would be protected.

“(The victim) would have lost comfort in the courts and the law to protect her,” Ms Wakeling said.

The man’s lawyer told the court he lost his job following his guilty plea.

“The consequences for you have been significant,” Ms Wakeling said.

She said the Instagram request would have an ongoing impact on his employment and his ability to support his family.

Ms Wakeling said his contact did not involve threats of violence or abuse, but was still a violation of a court order.

The accused became visibly agitated, shaking his head and tapping his foot, as his case was heard.

He was convicted and fined $1000 on July 1.