Sydney professor Dianne Jolley denies authoring hate mail despite ‘cracked’ admission

A Sydney academic made an admission in a text message soon after she was arrested for penning a fake hate mail campaign to herself.

A senior Sydney academic who has admitted to writing one threatening letter to herself has denied responsibility for an alleged fake hate mail campaign, despite an admission in a text message that she had “cracked”.

Former University of Technology dean of science Dianne Jolley is standing trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court, where she is facing allegations that she was responsible for a series of concocted mail directed at her in 2019.

She has admitted to penning one of the letters to herself, explaining that she had been targeted at her home where her underwear was stolen and her clothes were slashed on her washing line.

Jolley was on Monday found not guilty of a slew of counts after Judge Ian Bourke directed the jury to acquit her of nine charges.

But she is still facing a further 11 charges relating to allegations she sent a series of threatening notes, letters and cards to herself between July and November 2019.

She had pleaded not guilty to the remaining 11 charges – one count of causing financial disadvantage by deception and 10 counts of conveying information likely to make a person fear for their safety.

Dianne Jolley is facing allegations that she was responsible for a series of hate mail directed at her in 2019. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

During her evidence on Monday, Ms Jolley admitted that she had authored and printed out one of the letters on November 13, 2019.

The court has previously been told that at the time, the university was considering cutting its traditional Chinese medicine course and experiencing resistance from some sections of the community.

Ms Jolley maintains that she was targeted in a series of letters because of the planned closure of the course.

“Dianne. We have removed a dean before and can do it again. You don’t belong here. You are not wanted here. Either you leave or we will do it,” the letter that she authored read.

She maintains that she was motivated to write the one letter because the harassment and pressure became too great.

She said the tipping point was an incident when someone broke into her backyard and slashed and stole clothing items and left a note on the back of her car.

She has said that after reviewing her contract, she resolved the only way to get out of her $320,000 role was to incur a misconduct charge.

The letter that Dianne Jolley has admitted to sending to herself. Picture: Supplied

The court was told on Tuesday that she sent an SMS to a colleague on November 18, several days after her arrest, in which she divulged that she had “cracked under pressure” and “did a couple of things” that “I’m not proud of”.

Under questioning from crown prosecutor Roger Kimball, Ms Jolley denied that the message was an admission that she had authored the other 10 letters for which she has been charged.

“I did not send 10 letters to myself,” Ms Jolley said.

Ms Jolley has denied allegations she sent herself a series of notes as part of a fake harassment campaign. Picture: NCA NewsWire/James Gourley.

Ms Jolley made repeated denials that she had authored the letters in an attempt to force UTS to place security measures around her.

She said she was “horrified” after someone destroyed and stole clothing items in her backyard, just metres from where her son was sleeping inside a granny flat.

The court was told that as a result of Ms Jolley receiving the letters, the university paid for CCTV to be installed inside and around her office at UTS’s Ultimo campus and she was given a personal security detail.

She also denied sending one of the letters prior to her departure to China on a business trip on August 31, 2019.

The note refers to Ms Jolley as a “f***ed racist bitch” and a “China hating lesbian”.

The court was told that the letter was postmarked September 2, with the crown arguing that Ms Jolley had sent it before she left the country on a business class flight with colleagues.

“In relation to that letter, you’re the author aren’t you,” Mr Kimball said.

“I didn’t write this letter,” Ms Jolley replied.

“You planned to send the envelope before you went to China as some sort of alibi,” Mr Kimball said.

“No,” Ms Jolley said.

One of the letters allegedly sent by Dianne Jolley to herself. Picture: Supplied

Ms Jolley admitted on Tuesday that when she received one of the letters at her southern Sydney home in November 2019, that she had thrown it to her dog several times.

CCTV previously played to the court captures the moment she walks down her driveway and returns with a newspaper and a bundle of papers.

The letter, which Ms Jolley claimed she found on her lawn, read: “I know where you work, I know where you live, I know what you wear.”

She admitted to the jury that the footage further shows her scrunching up the letters and throwing it to her dog on several occasions before placing it in an evidence bag which had been given to her by police.

The letter came in an envelope with the university’s crest on the front and she said she assumed it was a hard copy of a confirmation that her probation period had ended a few weeks prior.

“I just assumed they were sending an official notice,” she said.

She defended her actions in allowing her dog to play with it instead of placing it inside one of the evidence bags given to her police.

“It wasn’t an exhibit at that stage, it was a letter from work,” Ms Jolley said.

The trial will continue with closing submissions on Wednesday before the jury is expected to retire to consider its verdict early next week.