Electrician Tommy Liu charged under Brodie’s Law with workplace bullying of apprentice

SHOCKING workplace bullying allegations against a Melbourne electrician could land the sparky in jail for up to ten years.

Electrician Tommy Liu has been charged with workplace bullying under Brodie’s Law, introduced after the suicide of Brodie Panlock following relentless workplace bulling. Damian and Rae Panlock with a photo of their daughter.

A MELBOURNE magistrate has warned an electrician facing workplace bullying charges that “we’re not in the 1950s anymore”.

Police allege the Clyde North man harassed and stalked his young apprentice over two years, using explicit and threatening language in text messages.

But the boss, Tommy Liu, 44, considered his language was merely “colourful” and common workplace chatter, the court heard yesterday (January 11).

Police have charged Mr Liu with two counts of stalking and one count of using a carriage service to harass the Langwarrin employee.

The charges were laid under the legislation known as Brodie’s Law that makes serious bullying a crime punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Ross Treverton told Frankston Magistrates Court that there was also a Worksafe investigation into the apprentice’s complaints.

He said the allegations against Mr Liu included harassment by text messages, and there was also a suggestion that he burnt the male apprentice with an ice pipe.

He said Worksafe investigators had presented police with evidence of many more text messages earlier this week.

The court heard that Mr Liu had admitted to sending the messages, but considered the “nature and tenor is something that is used in the workplace every day”.

Defence lawyer Tom Moisides told the court that there would be evidence his client used similar “colourful” language with other employees, and it would need to be decided if that constituted “bullying”.

Magistrate Julian Ayres said, “We’re not in the 1950s anymore ... this is not one conversation if it’s over two years”.

Mr Moisides said he needed time to examine the prosecution’s new material.

The magistrate adjourned the case until March 24.

Brodie’s Law was introduced in 2011 after the suicide of a young woman, Brodie Panlock, who was subjected to relentless bullying in her workplace.

Originally published as Electrician Tommy Liu charged under Brodie’s Law with workplace bullying of apprentice