Nikki Lee Dobbie fined for harassing ex's family on Facebook in St George

An ongoing familial dispute has boiled over when a St George woman plastered photos of her ex-husband’s family members on Facebook and slandered them in a community group.

A St George woman has learnt a hard lesson in thinking before you post after she slandered a couple on Facebook and booked herself a court date.

Nikki Lee Dobbie, 43 appeared in Oakey Magistrates Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to one count of using a carriage to menace and harass.

The court heard on April 13, Dobbie made a social media post slandering two of her ex-husband’s family members with claims like “don’t your children near them” as well as details about where they worked and photos of them.

The court heard the post was made into a St George community group, with the victims of the small town feeling “embarrassed and offended” by the comments.

One of the people who was named in the post showed up to Dobbie’s home to confront her, but was turned away by police who were already there for a separate matter.

Magistrate Kathleen Payne described the police presence as “fortunate”.

The court heard had been an ongoing dispute between the couple, and there was a “long history of harassment” from both sides.

Dobbie was fined $850, and broke down into tears when she was told she would be receiving a mandatory conviction.

Originally published as Nikki Lee Dobbie fined for harassing ex's family on Facebook in St George