Disgusting attack
Hospital protest group targeted
POLICE are investigating online harassment aimed at members of the Relocate Tweed Hospital Team.
The group behind the campaign to stop the $543 million Tweed Valley Hospital being built on the Cudgen Plateau claim their members have been the target of abusive calls and perverse online messages.
The team of local farmers is pushing to conserve the 23ha parcel of agricultural land, which has been earmarked for a new, much-needed hospital.
Organiser Hayley Paddon has been the main victim of the attacks, with her identity stolen in online profiles and her family members harassed with links to porn sites.
For the past month Ms Paddon’s profile picture has been used on an Instagram account which posts risque shots of models.
As well, messages from it have been sent to her family and friends with links to adult websites.
Ms Paddon said it was an online message to her 16-year-old daughter that prompted her to report the matter to police.
“It started a few weeks ago when my nephew saw it on Instagram,” she said.
“It was a page set up with my image, posting pictures of semi-naked women. I have two daughters, and this site is using my images to push pornography on young kids.”
Ms Paddon said she was aware of online bots, but the account had specifically targeted her family, her friends and their children.
“The account hasn’t just invited my friends online, but people I am close to outside of Instagram, which makes me worry that it is because of the hospital campaign,” she said.
“It is very targeted, very professional and persistent.
“I am concerned about what they will use my image for next.”
Despite reporting the matter to Instagram, the hackers have created dupli- cate accounts under the same alias. The group said it had also received harassing phone calls via the number on its website.
The Bulletin contacted the accounts via Instagram’s messaging app to ask about the user’s connection to Ms Paddon and Tweed Heads.
The user replied, “No I don’t have a connection to Tweed Heads, but I do have a lot of friends on the web”.
NSW police said an investigation was under way and urged anyone with information to call Tweed police on 07 5506 9499.