Canberra public servant Paul Anthony Bennett, 54, pleads guilty to vile stalking charges
AN OBSESSIVE public servant who harassed and stalked a Darwin woman and distributed so-called revenge porn of her did it, in part, ‘out of love’, the Supreme Court has heard
Crime and Court
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AN OBSESSIVE public servant who harassed and stalked a Darwin woman and distributed so-called revenge porn of her did it, in part, “out of love”, the Supreme Court has heard.
Paul Anthony Bennett, 54, of Campbell in the Australian Capital Territory, pleaded guilty to 12 offences including using a carriage service to harass, aggravated stalking, aggravated unlawful entry, stealing, property damage, and distributing intimate images.
Bennett has a criminal record for stalking and barrister Mary Chalmers, prosecuting, said his victim’s life had been ruined by his offending.
The woman, who can’t be named, met Bennett on a dating website and he flew to Darwin six times in nine months, before confiding in her he was on a “stalker register” in Canberra.
Bennett, a Department of Home Affairs bureaucrat, repeatedly pestered the woman despite her insisting the relationship was over.
Bennett had flowers and packages sent to the woman’s work.
When the woman blocked his phone number, Bennett got a new one and sent a text message proposing “hard cock for breakfast” and anal sex.
Moments later he knocked on her door and refused to leave for half an hour.
Bennett repeatedly contacted the woman by email, phone and post and in December 2017 again flew to Darwin where he went to her work, broke into her car, stole her house keys, which he later used to enter her house, stealing a ring, shed keys and three pairs of her underwear and graffiti her furniture, including with the slogan “mummy is a sl*t”.
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The victim also received anonymous text messages from a Telstra payphone, including one which called her a “lying deceitful bitch” and a “f*cking hypocrite”.
Bennett also sent nude photos of the woman and her new partner to her ex-husband.
Among a series of other abhorrent acts, Bennett sent the woman a postage satchel of dry animal faeces and hay.
In a letter to the woman’s employer, Bennett made false claims the woman had used drugs and prepared a certificate he asked the woman’s boss present to her “For outstanding achievement as a lying, deceitful bitch”.
In May 2018, eight months after the woman ended the relationship, Bennett flew to Darwin on a fake ID where he poured petrol over the woman’s new partner’s car and into his pool.
He also left derogatory notes at her work and sent an envelope with a birthday card, a pack of fantasy sex vouchers, and a novelty oversized condom.
The card said: “I believe you’ve sucked many a cock” and called her a “lying slut”.
Bennett has been behind bars since May last year, when NT police extradited him from Canberra.
Mr Bennett’s lawyer, Matt Hubber, told the court his client had twice been assaulted in jail and that he was keen to return to Canberra.
“It seems strange that we would want to keep him in the Northern Territory,” Mr Hubber said.
“These two blemishes (for stalking) are serious, but more so worrying than serious.
“He has in every other way led a blameless life.
“He has worked in the public service for more than 30 years, he is adored by friends and family in every other way.”
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“He’s done this out of love, really, and obsessive behaviour that’s manifested over time.”
Justice Peter Barr refused to grant Bennett bail and said he wasn’t sure “at least on a preliminary basis” that Bennett had served enough time behind bars for his crimes.
Bennett is expected to be sentenced in May after a series of court-ordered assessments, including a psychological report.
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