‘Investigate future murder’: Man’s chilling Facebook post threat to top Qld cop

The chilling threats made by a demolition worker to a senior Queensland cop, including threats to knife him and bomb his house, have been revealed.

A Brisbane man issued a cryptic threat for police to “investigate the future murder” of a senior Queensland cop while threatening to “put a knife” through the officer’s head and bomb his house.

Angry at how police had treated his partner when she was arrested, James Lee Elers confronted officers at the police station only to be dismissed, a court has been told.

It was after that the shocking threats emerged on the Queensland Police’s Facebook page from a profile bearing Elers’ name.

Brisbane man James Lee Elers pleaded guilty to two counts of written threat to murder and three summary offences at the Brisbane District Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Elers, 31, pleaded guilty at Brisbane District Court to two counts of written threats to murder, two counts of possessing dangerous drugs and a single count of possessing drug utensils.

The court was told Elers wrote threatening online posts on the QPS Facebook page on August 4 last year.

In one of the posts, Elers threatened to put a knife through Sergeant Adam Barber’s head and put a bomb “under his f--king house”.

In another post, he issued a cryptic warning that it was “time to investigate the future murder” of the sergeant.

Crown prosecutor Carla Ahern said Elers told police he posted the messages because he was unhappy at how the police treated his partner.

During the search of Elrs’ apartment police located marijuana, a bottle of the drug temazepam and drug utensils.

Ms Ahern said the offences were serious as Sergeant Barber held legitimate concerns Elers would carry out the threats.

The court was told the police officer feared for the safety of his wife and two children, as well as his own, after Elers wrote the threats on Facebook.

The court was told Elers had no intention of carrying out the threat.

Elers’ defence barrister Jakub Lodziak said his client had anger management issues.

Mr Lodziak said the issue arose after Elers’ partner complained to him about how she was treated by police when she was arrested over an unrelated matter.

He said Elers’ partner claimed she was not able to use a bathroom while in custody.

“He went to the police to make a complaint and was, in his words, laughed at and not taken seriously and that prompted him to go home and make the posts,” Mr Lodziak said.

“He’s very remorseful and ashamed … this manifestation of his anger is something he most definitely regrets.”

Judge Nicole Kefford sentenced Elers to an 18-month probation order but did not record a conviction for the written threats to murder.

Elers was convicted on the summary offences but not further punished.

During his submissions, Mr Lodziak said Elers was seeking treatment for mental health issues and was taking antidepressants.

“My client had a difficult early life … not just physical but psychological and emotional abuse he experienced,” Mr Lodziak said.