By Jeremy Sollars
Southern Downs Councillor Rod Kelly has reported a Facebook page to police with the administrator of the page having shared a string of messages they were sent by the councillor earlier in the year.
The Facebook page in question is titled ‘Roddler Toddler’ but the administrator of the page has since suggested on Facebook it is not targeted at Cr Kelly, and that it and other Facebook pages commenting on local issues under various names which do not identify the administrators are satire.
On 21 December ‘Roddler Toddler’ shared multiple messages sent by Cr Kelly in October and November calling the ‘Roddler Toddler’ administrator a “dickhead” and a “gutless coward” “who lives in a dark house”, and challenging the administrator to “meet me somewhere dickhead if you’ve got any guts” and to “copy and paste to your dickhead mates”.
Cr Kelly also said, “Do you know what happens to stalkers? Keep going and you will find out”.
Cr Kelly also referred to Southern Downs State MP James Lister and a recent instance where Mr Lister apologised to Mayor Tracy Dobie after labelling her as a “toxic mayor” while speaking in State Parliament.
“Did you see the State Member was made stand in Parliament and make a public apology under Hansard,” Cr Kelly stated.
“That’s a huge kick in the arse for him and his dickhead followers.”
Cr Kelly also refers to another Facebook page, ‘Southern Downs Reboot’ – currently offline – which the council threatened with potential legal action earlier in 2019 over posts referring to councillors and others which the council claimed were offensive and amounted to bullying.
“Remember I got Reboot shut down. How could you forget,” Cr Kelly stated.
One of Cr Kelly’s messages to ‘Roddler Toddler’ was sent in the early morning, with Cr Kelly saying, “Having little sleep in coward”.
It is understood Cr Kelly previously sent Facebook messages to the administrator of ‘Southern Downs Reboot’ and it is also alleged he has sent Facebook messages to other Facebook users in relation to ‘Southern Downs Reboot’.
The Free Times asked Cr Kelly via email if he intended to take legal action against the administrator of ‘Roddler Toddler’ and if he had any other comment to make.
Cr Kelly replied today, Monday 30 December, saying, “I have reported the site to the Queensland Police Service and cannot comment beyond that”.
Prior to receiving Cr Kelly’s response the Free Times asked the Queensland Police if they had received a complaint from Cr Kelly, with a spokeswoman advising they were unable due to privacy restrictions to “search on the councillor’s name to see if he has made an official complaint” and to contact Cr Kelly.
Further comment is being sought from the police following Cr Kelly’s response today and comment is also being sought from the administrator of ‘Roddler Toddler’ and James Lister.
Cr Kelly has told other media the messages he sent to ‘Roddler Toddler’ were intended to “flush out” the identity of the page administrator and that he felt threatened and intimidated by what he has claimed is the page administrator’s “vile and abusive” behaviour.
Under Queensland law it is an offence to use a ‘carriage service’ such as internet, social media, phones, computers, and surveillance devices to ‘menace and harass’.
The Free Times reserves the right to delete any online comments made in relation to this story which it considers may be potentially defamatory to any individuals.
