Police Minister David Elliott death threat: Guns seized, man charged
A man has appeared in court accused of making death threats against David Elliott while the NSW Police Minister has been subjected to unrelated abusive messages on social media and vandalism of his electoral office.
NSW
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A man has been charged over an alleged death threat made to Police Minister David Elliott at the weekend.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal police from the fixated persons unit executed a search warrant at the 25-year-old man’s Belmont address after the alert was raised in relation to a threat made via Facebook.
During the search, detectives found cannabis, medication without a prescription, two gel blasters and ammunition which were seized for forensic examination.
He was arrested and charged with using a carriage service to threaten to kill, possessing a prohibited drug, possessing a prescribed restricted substance and possessing an unauthorised firearm
The man was granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Belmont Local Court on July 20.
It is understood the Minister had received dozens of Facebook messages offering feedback from voters — including several abusive messages — after the government’s pushback on the weekend’s Black Lives Matter protests. The Daily Telegraph was not able to confirm whether the man arrested was a protester from the rally.
A spokesman for Mr Elliott last night said the minister would not discuss personal security issues.
In an unrelated incident, Mr Elliott’s electoral office was also vandalised over the weekend with the word “resign” written in graffiti.
It comes as Mr Elliott declared yesterday police would refuse to authorise any further large protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Any protests larger than 500 people, or smaller rallies where social distancing was impossible, would be deemed illegal.
“Any protest in the future, irrespective of how honourable the cause, must comply with the current public health orders,” Mr Elliott said. “If it does not, it is my expectation that police will not authorise the protest and it will be illegal.”
Mr Elliott said the process that saw police allow Saturday’s rally to go ahead has been reviewed. He also rejected a suggestion that protesters could seek the court to overturn a ban on a mass gathering.
Police have reaffirmed comments made by Acting Commissioner Mal Lanyon, who said protests would be assessed individually.
Originally published as Police Minister David Elliott death threat: Guns seized, man charged
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