Jackson Oppy pleads guilty to stalking Hader Clinic founder Richard Smith
The former general manager of an embattled rehab clinic went on a “vendetta” against his former boss after being sacked, making wild allegations involving BDSM, crypto and human trafficking.
A soured business relationship led to the sacked manager of a Geelong rehab clinic spending months trying to discredit his former boss with wild allegations, a court has heard.
Jackson John Oppy, 50, appeared in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to charges including stalking and numerous breaches of a personal safety intervention order (PSIO) after accepting a sentencing indication from magistrate Franz Holzer.
Mr Holzer placed Oppy on an 18-month community corrections order (CCO), including 100 hours of community work, without conviction.
The father-of-four also agreed to an undertaking to be of good behaviour.
The court heard Oppy worked as general manager of the Hader Clinic, a rehabilitation centre in St Albans Park founded by Richard Smith, for more than a decade until 2022.
Prosecutor Maille Cornelius told the court Oppy was served with a PSIO protecting Mr Smith on February 29 last year.
Oppy posted a photo of the order on Facebook that same day, along with a link to an article about “misuse of IVOs in the workplace”.
The post kicked off a months-long “vendetta” of dozens upon dozens of posts, targeted at Mr Smith and the Hader Clinic that would last until December 2024.
Oppy created multiple websites and Facebook pages focused specifically on discrediting Mr Smith and his company and emailed media outlets about Mr Smith and the Hader Clinic.
He also emailed health providers asking for an investigation into the company’s operations.
Oppy was interviewed by police in May 2024, but his campaign of harassment continued, escalating in July 2024, when Oppy made allegations of Mr Smith’s alleged involvement in BDSM with young Indonesian women, posting pictures of Mr Smith with partially nude women.
The court heard Oppy alleged Mr Smith was involved in the “illegal distribution of steroids and crypto exchange”, as well as the “exploitation of women”.
Some of Oppy’s posts “referred to prostitution, Russian brides and incest” Ms Cornelius told the court.
The court heard Mr Smith was distressed by the allegations and went to police multiple times.
Sarah Eid, for Oppy, told the court her client’s working relationship with Mr Smith soured after Oppy allegedly took issue with Mr Smith “mislabelling” his credentials.
Oppy was dismissed, the court heard, and he wanted to take the matter to Fair Work.
Ms Eid told the court Oppy subsequently took allegations about Mr Smith to the police, but didn’t hear back.
He then allegedly started receiving “quite serious threats” from ex-colleagues – although not from Mr Smith, Ms Eid said.
Ms Eid said Oppy felt “quite scared for his life” and fell into a relapse of drug use, before spending several months in Indonesia with his wife and her parents.
Oppy, who conceded his behaviour was unacceptable, had now moved back in with his parents and found employment at another rehab service, the court heard.
Ms Eid said the offending was “highly uncharacteristic”, noting Oppy’s clean record since 1994, and argued Oppy had “dedicated his life to helping people” in the drug rehab space.
Mr Holzer said it appeared Oppy had a “personal vendetta” against Mr Smith and said Oppy’s judgment had not just been clouded, but had been “almost consumed by what has happened and his personal views”.
The allegations against Mr Smith that Oppy reported to police were investigated, Ms Cornelius said, but she could not confirm the status of the matter.
Mr Holzer told Oppy he was an intelligent man and it was disappointing the souring of a working relationship between two “mature” men had “spilt out into the public arena”.
“Yours is a considerable fall from grace, I must say,” Mr Holzer told Oppy.
The corporate entity behind the Hader Clinic, Health Axis Pty Ltd, is currently in liquidation.
In a report by insolvency expert Robert Woods, Mr Smith – who spent many years “off shore” in Bali – blamed senior management that he put in charge of the business for its collapse.
“The director advised that the failure of the business can be attributed to the mismanagement of its operations by key personnel,” Mr Woods said.
Oppy also founded private bail service Bail Safe, which was at the centre of a media storm earlier this year after it closed – reportedly without notifying authorities.
Premier Jacinta Allan said in February the company’s behaviour was “unacceptable”.
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Originally published as Jackson Oppy pleads guilty to stalking Hader Clinic founder Richard Smith
