Simon Geoffrey Raymond charged with threatening to kill Victorian MP Anne Webster
A man allegedly threatened to kill a federal MP, bombarding her office with emails and phone calls over a month, police allege.
A man charged with threatening to kill a federal member of parliament, bombarding her with harassing phone calls and emails, made the threats from an entirely different state, police allege.
Australian Federal Police charged Simon Geoffrey Raymond, 39, with sending threatening and harassing emails to Nationals MP Anne Webster, who holds the seat of Mallee in Victoria.
Mr Raymond was charged after he was arrested at Brisbane international airport on July 11.
He is facing two counts of using a carriage service to threaten to kill and five counts of menace, using a carriage service to harass or cause offence.
Police allege in court documents Mr Raymond sent the threats to kill and harassing emails and phone calls to the Malle MP in March and April.
It is alleged the threatening messages came from Darwin, in the Northern Territory.
Two of the alleged threats to kill were made on April 14.
Police allege Mr Raymond’s use of a carriage service was considered harassing and menacing because there were “repeated previous emails addressed to Dr Webster” and because of the tone and language used.
One email on March 6 “was addressed to a large group of medical professionals in Australia and overseas”, they allege.
A phone call on April 25 is alleged to have been related to Mr Raymond seeking medical assistance.
Mr Raymond was granted bail in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday after the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions office raised no objections to his release conditions.
Mr Raymond must report to police on Monday to Friday.
His matter will return to court on August 18.
Following Mr Raymond’s arrest on July 11, AFP Commander Naomi Binstead said the AFP took all reports regarding the safety and security of Australian high office holders seriously.
“The AFP supports political expression and freedom of speech, but when it leads to criminal behaviour – including threats and harassment – it will not be tolerated,” she said.
“The AFP has world-leading technology to identify individuals who break the law by harassing, menacing or threatening Commonwealth officials.”
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