A 34-year-old registered sex offender created fake social media profiles to harass former Hey Dad! star Sarah Monahan, a court has heard.
Monahan revealed in 2010 she had been abused by a man while working as a child actor on the popular 1980s Australian television show.
Her co-star Robert Hughes was later convicted of 10 offences committed against several girls
In 2016, Monahan released a memoir claiming the abuse she suffered was also at the hands of Hughes.
In the Bendigo County Court, Luke James Wallis from Golden Square pleaded guilty to an online harassment charge, and a further child pornography offence.
He admitted to writing, under fake names such as ‘Mr Kelly’ and ‘George Pell = Hero’, a series of messages last year on Monahan’s Facebook page.
Kelly was the surname of the family at the centre of Hey Dad!
The court was told Wallis wrote he was “really proud of Robert Hughes” and that the disgraced star “will always be my hero, always”.
In another comment, Wallis defended another fallen star, Rolf Harris
Federal authorities raided Wallis’s unit in August last year.
The court was told he co-operated with investigators, telling them the messages were written to try to “stir [Monahan] up” and get a reaction.
Wallis is a registered sex offender, and was convicted in 2013 for possession of child pornography.
The court heard he was a “self-described loner” who was diagnosed with a schizotypal mental illness.
The defence lawyer said Wallis has accepted responsibility for the offences.
He will return to court in Melbourne in March.
This post originally appeared on ABC News.
Quicky News Headlines: Thursday April 25th 2024
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