David Wonnocott in court over alleged death threats to Brittany Higgins

A man has been ordered to stay away from former political staffer Brittany Higgins after he allegedly threatened to kill her, her partner and their dog.

A man accused of threatening to kill former political staffer Brittany Higgins, her fiance and their dog has faced court weeks after the couple permanently moved to Europe.

David William Wonnocott, 49, appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court on Monday after being charged with using a carriage service to threaten to kill and two charges of using a carriage service to menace.

Police allege he targeted Ms Higgins and NSW politician Alex Greenwich in online attacks that posed a serious threat to their safety.

The court was told Mr Wonnocott’s lawyer had made representations to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions after a case conference between the parties.

David William Wonnocott has been charged with sending menacing messages to Brittany Higgins. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Scott Powick

Commonwealth DPP lawyer Paayal Parshotam asked the court for a four-week adjournment to allow her to consider the material.

She told the court there was a possibility the DPP would file an amended charge certificate when the matter returned to court in February.

Mr Wonnocott was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Squad on April 19 last year after police allegedly discovered 49 threatening and offensive messages sent from linked accounts.

Police allege he used one of the social media accounts to send messages to Ms Higgins’ partner David Sharaz in which he threatened to kill him, his high-profile fiancee and the couple’s cavoodle.

Ms Higgins has been subjected to a torrent of online abuse since she publicly alleged she had been raped by a colleague in Parliament House in 2019.

Her fellow political staffer Bruce Lehrmann pleaded not guilty to the sexual assault in 2021, but the trial was later abandoned due to juror misconduct.

In 2022, the charge against Mr Lehrmann was dropped after concerns were raised about the effect of a second trial on Ms Higgins’ mental health. Mr Lehrmann has always denied raping Ms Higgins.

After years of intense media scrutiny, Ms Higgins and her fiance recently made the permanent move to France for a fresh start.

Messages sent to David Sharaz allegedly threatened his life and the lives of his partner, Brittany Higgins, and their dog.

The couple have recently relocated to France. Picture: davidsharaz/Instagram

The pair have purchased a home in a small town in the south of France and resettled with their cavoodle, Kingston, who was also allegedly targeted in the threatening messages.

Mr Wonnocott is prohibited from contacting either Ms Higgins or Mr Sharaz as a condition of his bail.

The Banora Point resident has pleaded guilty to sending menacing messages to openly gay Sydney MP Mr Greenwich in a separate incident.

The court was told Mr Wonnocott would remain on bail until he returned to court on February 26.