Police arrest Frankston man on charges of threatening Richmond defender Dylan Grimes
Police raids have led to another arrest in relation to disgusting online threats made towards Richmond defender Dylan Grimes and his family.
AFL
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A second man has been arrested in relation to alleged online threats made to Richmond star Dylan Grimes.
Victoria Police have confirmed that a property was raided on Tuesday and that a 54-year-old man was arrested in relation to an online harassment investigation.
“The 54-year-old man was arrested at his Mitcham address by Macedon Ranges Crime Investigation Unit detectives on Tuesday afternoon,” Victoria Police said in a statement.
“He was charged with stalking and use telecommunications device to menace and was bailed to Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on 16 December.”
It follows the arrest of a 39-year-old Frankston man on Monday in the wake of extreme threats to both Grimes and his family following last Saturday night’s Richmond win over Essendon in Darwin.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick on Wednesday lauded the strength of his player for taking the stand against the abuse, which included what Grimes — who has been housed in the team’s Queensland hub since footy’s restart — said included pointed threats that made him fear for the safety of his family.
“We’re incredibly proud of Dylan and there’s just no place for it,” Hardwick said.
“It’s really disappointing that people do this.
“It’s in front of the courts now so we’ll leave it at that, but I couldn’t be prouder of Dylan and the AFL community for standing up to those online trolls.
“Life’s tough at the moment and we don’t need people putting us down even further.”
Grimes, 29, contacted Victoria Police in the wake of the threats on social media.
Grimes, who played in the Tigers’ 2017 and 2019 premierships, had been concerned for the wellbeing of his family given the graphic nature of the threats that were allegedly made.
“Firstly, I want to thank Victoria Police for their assistance with this matter, and for promptly protecting the physical safety of my family while I am away,” Grimes said.
“The severity and pointed nature of these threats went way beyond what I would call normal post-game banter with this individual.
“So much so that we were concerned for the safety of my family back home in Victoria.
“Honestly, I am disappointed that this has escalated to this extent, I’d really like to move on from it and get back to focusing on footy, but at the same time I also encourage people to continue to call out this kind behaviour. It’s not right for anyone, including players and their families, to have their safety threatened.”
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Grimes said early on Sunday morning that he had received “death threats and suicide suggestions” following the game, revealing a number of abusive messages on Instagram.
WALLIS LAUDS GRIMES
By Rebecca Williams
Bulldogs forward Mitch Wallis has predicted Tiger Dylan Grimes’ stand against social media abuse will pave the way for more players to “follow his lead”.
Wallis said the social media abuse was an “ugly side of footy”, but commended Grimes for taking a stand and expected more players to now follow suit.
“I am wrapped that Dylan took a stand and really is a leader in this – it’s happening most days which is disappointing,” Wallis said on Wednesday.
“Even with our four walls in terms of fans and social media. So you have got to front-foot it, wear it on the chin and really be proud of who you are and don’t shy away from it.
“Dylan has taken a stand and I think we are going to follow his footsteps and take a stand when something as bad is said about our players, it could be anything – performance, race, whatever.
“I’m glad he has done it, he has definitely paved the way for people to follow in behind him.”
Wallis said he had embraced club advice about changing settings on social media to avoid seeing abusive comments.
He called on more players to use their “platform” and stand up against online trolling.
“I implore anyone at our club or in the competition to stamp it out because it shouldn’t be part of the game, it shouldn’t be part of anything in Australian society,” Wallis said.
“We have got a platform to be able to voice our opinion and make sure that those who do say the wrong things are called out.”
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Originally published as Police arrest Frankston man on charges of threatening Richmond defender Dylan Grimes
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