A white nationalist leader is facing imprisonment after being found guilty of intimidating law enforcement officers by hurling verbal attacks and threatening to publicly release personal information about an officer and their spouse.
Thomas Sewell, 32, represented himself in a contested hearing against these charges at the Melbourne Magistrates Court, a proceeding that spanned over a week. He was arrested outside the court on a separate matter involving an alleged assault on a site of cultural significance to Indigenous Australians and was taken into custody on September 2. The hearing proceeded with Sewell representing himself from the defendant’s dock, separated from the court by glass and flanked by security personnel.
Sewell is accused of threatening to “dox” a police officer and his wife in podcasts during October and November of last year, including releasing personal information and wedding photos. “I’m working out how to dox him because those doxing laws haven’t come into effect yet,” he said on a podcast. “Like his wedding photos, we’ve got it all downloaded, he’s a fucking idiot.”
The police officer testified at the hearing, stating he felt “highly anxious” about his and his family’s safety. “I didn’t know what he was going to do with that information,” the officer said in court. The officer’s wife, though not present in person, submitted a statement to the court claiming she felt intimidated and threatened.
Sewell argued he was criticizing the police and exercising his right to free communication regarding public issues. Nonetheless, Magistrate Michelle Hodgson ruled that Sewell was guilty of police intimidation, rejecting his defense that he was holding the police to account. Hodgson determined that Sewell had threatened to release personal information and showed animosity towards the officer and his family. She emphasized that his words went beyond mere political criticism.
Sewell has been found guilty of three counts of intimidating a police officer and their spouse, charges that could lead to a prison sentence. The court also found him guilty of two counts of breaking personal safety orders and not guilty of two other related offenses. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Friday afternoon. The verdict comes as several of Sewell’s supporters, including one individual named Jacob Hersant, attended the proceedings either in person or online. After the court went into recess for lunch, another member of Sewell’s group was arrested outside the court by the police.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/12/neo-nazi-thomas-sewell-found-guilty-of-intimidating-police-officer-by-threatening-to-dox-them-ntwnfb
