A man linked to a white nationalist party says a journalist and lawyer who he threatened to “smash to a f***ing pulp” had “invited” the tirade of abuse, a court has heard.
Nathan Jacob Sykes, 53, has pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to threaten serious harm to Luke McMahon after the pair engaged in a war of words online.
The court heard on Thursday Sykes did not remember leaving a message on Mr McMahonxjmtzyw’s phone but accepted it was his voice.
Sykes previously gave evidence he was left fearing for his life after another man threatened him in the street and called him a “Nazi”.
And on another occasion in late 2017, a fire hose was put through his window and turned on while he slept, Sykes has told the court.
He claimed he had been charged for “political purposes” and accused Mr McMahon of writing defamatory articles about him.
“Mr McMahon is nothing but a fly I keep swatting away,” Sykes said at a sentence hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Thursday.
“It’s the system that’s allowed this to progress. I posit it’s been done for political purposes.”
Asked if McMahon deserved to be abused, Sykes said: “Mr McMahon encouraged it … He did invite it, yes.”
The court heard Sykes left a message on McMahon’s phone saying: “The minute you raise your head up publicly, not only are my people going to stick you out in Melbourne and physically smash you to a f***ing pulp, but you can’t even publish, your credibility is destroyed.”
He went on in the message to describe Mr McMahon as a “motherf***er” and a “tiny-d***ed little puke”.
Mr McMahon, who describes himself online as an investigative journalist, was accused by Sykes of being an anarchist and anti-fascist.
Sykes also alleged Mr McMahon used an online alias to send him abusive messages.
“He referred to me as a bloated Jewish Nazi beach ball,” Sykes said in court.
The court heard he had also told Mr McMahon “to expect a surprise” before one of Sykes’ political associates had turned up at the door of his Melbourne home when he wasn’t there.
Australia First Party leader and far-right figure Jim Saleam told the court Sykes had written articles for his party’s website.
Mr Saleam admitted he had gone to Mr McMahon’s house with another man carrying a video camera, with the intent of posting the footage on YouTube, before leaving a business card.
However, he denied it was an attempt to “intimidate” Mr McMahon.
“I intended to speak to Mr McMahon to get a few comments as part of an item I wished to publish on YouTube,” Mr Saleam said.
The court heard the crown prosecution was not pushing for Mr Sykes to be jailed and agreed his sentence was better served via an intensive corrections order in the community.
Sykes will be sentenced on April 1.
