A Central Coast chiropractor and former Liberal Party member has narrowly avoided jail for posting racist and offensive messages on the Facebook page of former senator Nova Peris.
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Chris Nelson, 64, initially claimed his Facebook profile had been hacked when messages were sent calling Ms Peris a "black c---" and telling her to "f--- off" and "go back to the bush and suck on witchity [sic] grubs".'
However, last month he pleaded guilty in Woy Woy Local Court to one count of using a carriage service to offend.
On Tuesday, he was given an eight-month suspended jail sentence after the court heard he had a "brain snap". He was also placed on a two-year good behaviour bond.
Police documents tendered in court state that Nelson admitted to writing the posts when detectives visited him at his Woy Woy chiropractor and osteopath centre on May 30.
However, he told police he was not motivated by racism but, rather, by government policies concerning illegal immigration and welfare payments to persons of Aboriginal heritage.
His lawyer, David Kelly, said Nelson was sorry for what he has done and would send Ms Peris an apology letter.
He said Nelson has since been "educated" in how to use Facebook. He said Nelson thought he was using a private group chat with friends and he couldn't figure out how to delete the posts.
Ms Peris shared Nelson's initial post, saying it would be easier to block and delete him but she wanted to "leave it there to continue to show the ugly side of this country".
Part of the post said: "Stop painting your f---ing face with white s--- in parliament" and "other than being a runner you are nothing".
In another post he wrote: "Oh I'm so sorry sorry not ... I am not sorry for what has happened in the past if it wasn't for the non existent stolen generation, you would have probably been raped by your father or another male relative or worse still, been killed. So as I've said before f--- off you black c--- we don't need or want you."
In an interview with the Central Coast Express Advocate just before police visited him in May, he denied making the posts.
"I was clearly hacked. I'm the victim of a really horrible and extremely vicious hacking," he told the paper.
"I've had so many threats like 'die, you c---'. Police have been alerted about this … and I've got my business alarmed," he said.
"I'm definitely not a racist. I've got friends who are Aboriginal and family who are Aboriginal.
He was nevertheless booted out of the Liberal Party in May.
Ms Peris, an indigenous advocate, left her post as a Northern Territory Labor senator recently.
Nelson declined to comment as he left court.
smh.com.au
