Man pleads guilty to threatening Central Coast MP
Christopher Mark Whitty has pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to threaten serious harm against Gosford MP Liesl Tesch.
Christopher Mark Whitty, 43, has pleaded guilty to threatening serious harm against Gosford MP Liesl Tesch. The court previously heard Whitty used Facebook to make violent threats and stated his intention to find the former Paralympian and harm her in public. Whitty, charged in August, submitted his guilty plea in Gosford Local Court yesterday.
He has been on conditional bail since August, with conditions including maintaining a 100-meter distance from Ms Tesch, owning only one mobile phone and SIM card, and avoiding Gosford unless attending court. Ms Tesch, a Labor MP for Gosford and parliamentary secretary for families, communities, and disability inclusion, expressed concern that women in public life often suffer online harm, particularly female journalists.
Research by Women for Election found that 90% of 110 women running or elected to office experienced online abuse or intimidation, with half considering not running for office again. Whitty's sentencing hearing is scheduled for December.
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