A Melbourne magistrate has convicted neo‑Nazi leader Thomas Sewell of intimidating a police officer and his wife and ordered him to complete 200 hours of community work, while he remains in custody on unrelated matters.
Sewell, 32, was found guilty on Friday of three counts of intimidation of a law enforcement officer and his spouse after a contested hearing that ran for more than a week. Magistrate Michelle Hodgson rejected Sewell's defence that his comments were part of a public debate, finding he had targeted the officer's private life and used threats of exposure to instil fear.
Prosecutors told the court that Sewell had discussed the officer and his family on podcasts in October and November last year, including threats to publicly release personal information and wedding photographs. On one broadcast Sewell said, "I'm working out how to dox him because those doxing laws haven't come into effect yet. Like his wedding photos, we've got it all downloaded, he's a f***ing idiot," the court heard.
The police officer gave evidence that the broadcasts left him feeling "highly anxious" about his and his family's safety. The officer's wife told the court she felt "really intimidated and threatened" and said she believed the family was in danger.
Magistrate Hodgson said Sewell had "sought to weaponise personal information, personal insult and public exposure to instil fear" and described the offending as "objectively very serious." She cautioned that intimidation of police can undermine the justice system and noted that threats to release private information can cause lasting harm because "once online, it's virtually impossible to contain." The offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment if dealt with in a higher court, or two years in the magistrates' court, she said.
Despite the seriousness attributed to the conduct, Hodgson declined to impose an immediate custodial sentence. Instead she ordered Sewell to undertake 200 hours of community work to be completed over 18 months, to commence after he is released from custody on separate matters.
Sewell represented himself during the contested hearing. On its second day, on September 2, he was arrested outside the court and taken into custody over an alleged attack on an Indigenous protest site known as Camp Sovereignty. The magistrate found Sewell guilty on Friday of intimidation and two counts of contravening personal safety orders; he was acquitted of two other alleged contraventions and of failing to comply with a police direction to provide passwords for his devices.
After the hearing broke for lunch, police were seen detaining a supporter outside the court. Victoria Police later confirmed a 20‑year‑old man from Yea was arrested on William Street in connection with the alleged August 31 attack on Camp Sovereignty.
Court observers described dramatic scenes outside the Melbourne Magistrates Court as Sewell learned his fate. Sewell remains in custody on the separate matters and will begin the community work order only when he is released to serve that sentence. The convictions mark another legal setback for the self‑identified leader of a far‑right group that has been the focus of police attention and public concern.
The matters dealt with in Friday's hearing relate specifically to the intimidation charges laid over the published threats; other outstanding charges and proceedings involving Sewell were not resolved at the hearing and will proceed through the courts.