Overview
- Sean David Sharman pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to threaten to kill and was sentenced in Ballarat to an 18-month community corrections order with a conviction, avoiding jail.
- The email referenced a .38 calibre bullet and used Islamophobic slurs, with the court finding it targeted Senator Fatima Payman for her gender, race and religion.
- Magistrate Julia Barling called the message "so offensive" and "hateful" and said she would have considered prison if Sharman had prior convictions.
- Senator Payman’s victim impact statement described ongoing fear and distress that affected her travel and ability to perform parliamentary duties.
- The court heard Sharman was drinking about 24 beers a day and has complex PTSD; conditions require alcohol and mental-health treatment, and the magistrate warned about rising "keyboard warrior" abuse online.