A man accused of making death threats online has been ordered to stay away from former political staffer Brittany Higgins and her fiance.
David William Wonnocott, 49, appeared in a northern NSW court on Wednesday for the first time since his April arrest over social media threats of violence.
One condition of his bail is not to be with or contact Ms Higgins or her fiance David Sharaz except through a lawyer.
Wonnocott is charged with using a carriage service to threaten to kill on April 11, 2022 and using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend between July 2022 and February.
The Banora Point man is also facing a separate charge of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend on January 9.
His bail conditions in relation to that charge state he cannot contact or approach NSW MP Alexander Greenwich except through a lawyer.
Wonnocott was arrested on the latest charge soon after midnight on February 25, the morning of the Sydney Mardi Gras.
He was released on bail with conditions including a ban on attending Mardi Gras or being in the Sydney CBD, and a 4pm to 11.30pm curfew that day.
Wonnocott has a criminal history relating mainly to intimidation and threats towards members of minority groups using social media, police said in court documents.
“His posts are hate related towards members of these groups and members of the public.”
Police said Wonnocott’s threats are considered real and taken seriously.
“There is a serious threat that he may in fact try and carry out a threat of violence in the near future.”
Police have records of Wonnocott’s posts, device data and victim impact statements in relation to threats and intimidation.
“It is the police view that he would be in contact with far right wing thinking groups with radical views that practice and endorse violence towards members of specific minority groups,” the documents read.
NSW Police said detectives began investigating in February “after receiving information about threats of violence made through a social media platform in relation to participants of a mass gathering”.
“Detectives uncovered a total of 49 messages with similar threats or offensive content sent from a number of accounts, which were believed to be linked,” police said.
“One of the accounts was also linked to messages sent on social media to a man in the ACT, allegedly threatening to kill the man, his partner, and their pet dog.”
The targets were not named.
Ms Higgins has received a barrage of abuse on social media after going public with allegations that she was raped by a colleague at Parliament House in 2019 when she was working for a Liberal senator.
Wonnocott appeared in Tweed Heads Local Court where Magistrate Geoff Dunlevy said a plea of guilty had been entered in relation to the single charge relating to Mr Greenwich.
That case is due for mention again in the same court on July 24, when Wonnocott – the sole carer of his elderly parents – does not have to appear if legally represented.
Outside court Wonnocott said he did not know Ms Higgins or Mr Sharaz.
Asked what he was going to do in future, he replied with a smile: “behave”.
In 2021 former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann was charged with sexually assaulting Ms Higgins and pleaded not guilty.
A trial in the ACT Supreme Court was derailed due to juror misconduct.
The charges against him were later dropped because of concerns about the impact a second trial would have on Ms Higgins’ mental health.
Mr Lehrmann denies raping Ms Higgins.
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