By Abbey Cannan
A 67-year-old man has pleaded guilty after being charged with allegedly distributing flyers throughout Tewantin falsely claiming his former sporting associate was a paedophile.
Tinbeerwah man, Richard Sinclair appeared in the Noosa Magistrates court on Tuesday 9 July after Noosa detectives charged him with criminal defamation for sharing false claims against his former sports club associate Dennis Burgess.
It will be alleged that in November last year, two members of Tewantin Bowls Club, Mr Sinclair and 70-year-old Mr Burgess, had a falling out and discontinued their partnership.
It is further alleged that Mr Sinclair, angry at the collapse of their partnership, drafted a message alleging Mr Burgess was a paedophile and delivered it to multiple homes within the community.
The flyer contained the name and address of the 70-year-old victim along with a number of false allegations about his alleged criminal history.
On November 30, 2018 Mr Burgess’ 69-year-old wife was handed a copy of the flyer by a member of the club, at which point police were notified.
Ongoing investigations by police and forensic examination of multiple flyers that were seized led to Mr Sinclair being charged with criminal defamation.
Magistrate C.J. Callaghan told the court that the charge carried a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment.
Police prosecutor Allison Johnstone asked that the case be adjourned for three weeks so that police could acquire a victim impact statement.
“It’s quite a different charge, it’s not commonly seen before the court,” Snr Cnst Johnstone said.
Officer in Charge of Noosa Police Station, Senior Sergeant Ben Carroll, said the victim and his family were devastated by the allegations shared amongst the tight-knit community.
“This should serve as a warning to others that police take offences like this very seriously and will prosecute over the sharing of defamatory and malicious information,” Senior Sergeant Carroll said.
“The victim and his wife were obviously distressed by these allegations. He now has the opportunity in court to clear his name and restore his reputation,” he said.
The case was adjourned until Tuesday 30 July with personal appearance required from the defendant at 2pm in Noosa Magistrates Court.
