'Cloak of anonymity no longer an excuse': Fremantle man fronts court over racist online posts
A Fremantle bar manager has become one of the first people in Western Australia to be charged over racist comments he allegedly made online.
Jason Murtagh, 49, appeared in Fremantle Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with conduct likely to racially harass and 34 counts of creating false belief, relating to incidents spanning four years.
Jason Murtagh, 49, was charged over racist online posts and false police reports.
A police spokesman alleged the Navy Club employee posted racist, derogatory content online between April and August 2020.
“The online content contained false information suggesting the man had family members who held public officer positions and who held the same beliefs as him,” the spokesman said.
It is also alleged Mr Murtagh called police on dozens of occasions between 2016 and 2020 to report racially motivated assaults which didn’t happen.
“The police response to those calls at times included officers deploying to the location under emergency conditions, only to find no evidence of any such incident taking place,” the police spokesman said.
“The content we are alleging was posted by the accused man has no place in our community, and it is not reflective of the views held by members of the diverse and multicultural community we are all proud to be part of.
“Many racially motivated comments are made online under the ‘cloak of anonymity’, however we are committed to investigating offences that are intended to harass or intimidate members of our community ... offenders will be identified, and they will be prosecuted.”
Mr Murtagh was granted bail on the condition he adhere to a curfew, with an exemption allowed for him to attend his workplace.
He declined to speak with media outside court and is next due to appear on October 6.