Jail for police death threats

Updated November 2 2012 - 4:08pm, first published April 18 2011 - 2:27pm

A WENDOUREE West man threatened to kill police officers and broadcast their home addresses over a police communications radio channel, a court heard yesterday.Duanne Naughton pleaded guilty to six charges at the Ballarat Magistrates Court, including making a threat to kill a police officer, knowingly interfering with police radio communications and resisting arrest.Naughton, who turned 33 yesterday, also breached an existing suspended sentence and was jailed for six months by magistrate Michelle Hodgson.Police prosecutor Senior Constable Simon Grant said Naughton had obtained codes specific to the Region West Division 3 police channel and began broadcasting at 7pm on September 8, 2010.“The accused continued to broadcast throughout the evening, causing severe disruption and interference to police operations,” Senior Constable Grant said.“During these broadcasts the accused also detailed that he had knowledge of specific police members details and addresses and made serious threats to attending at their homes and to killing or damaging property.”The court heard Naughton again broadcast over the channel on December 9 using the same modified hand-held radio, which allowed police and an outside agency to trace the signal to a Mathilda Street address.Police attended the address that evening, seizing the radio and other communications equipment.Submitting an application for an intensive corrections order rather than a prison term, defence lawyer Brett Bryant said Naughton was in an intoxicated state and “foolishly” went on a rant over the airwaves.Mr Bryant said his client had an existing alcohol problem and, at worst, “would drink up to three slabs in a single day”.He said the transmitter-radio was purchased on eBay and the codes to breach the police communications radio channel were obtained from the internet.“Earlier I was shown, to my horror, that when you enter a certain phrase into Google, a number of hits come up which show the radio codes,” Mr Bryant said.The court also heard Naughton suffered from depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.Upon sentencing, Ms Hodgson said the ease by which the crime had been committed was “chilling” and after taking into account Naughton’s mental health and alcohol related issues, imposed the prison term.“Police communications are essential,” she said. “I must impose a sentence that deters others from committing these crimes.”

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