Woman’s hundreds of online threats

A Wellington woman who targeted a man with a rare disorder, calling him a retard and threatening on Facebook to slit his throat, has failed to get a third discharge without conviction.

Ella Sophie Vollweiler Porter, 26, spent nearly a year abusing the man, leaving hundreds of messages on Facebook, sometimes more than 20 a day.

She did not know her victim but they had a mutual acquaintance, and Porter became jealous of their relationship.

The man, who cannot be identified, was frightened that Porter would carry out her threats. He was concerned about being unable to defend himself because of his condition.

Porter had pleaded guilty to posting threatening and derogatory messages on Facebook, causing serious harm between August 2015 and June 2016 under the Harmful Digital Communications Act.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail or a $50,000 fine.

Porter had twice before received a discharge

A psychologist’s report said it was likely she had some level of intellectual disability, which impaired her capacity to manage emotions.

without conviction: in 2011 for accosting a victim at their workplace; and in 2013, for throwing eggs at a victim’s car.

Wellington District Court judge Ian Mill said yesterday that he could not give her a third discharge.

He said this was serious and sustained offending targeting a vulnerable victim and her comments were ‘‘profane and threatening’’.

Porter had previously admitted that she would persist in contacting people, despite them wanting her to stop. She had been visited by police officers because of that, the judge said.

A psychologist’s report said it was likely she had some level of intellectual disability, which impaired her capacity to manage emotions and limited her ability to understand the impact of her actions on others.

‘‘He said you are not able to tolerate your own emotional distress, let alone others, and that it was likely to be an ongoing issue,’’ the judge said of the psychologist’s recommendations.

He sentenced Porter to nine months of supervision.

In a victim impact statement read out to the court, the victim’s mother said he became scared to go out alone and was worried that Porter would carry out her threats. ‘‘I want you to never contact my son again.’’

She said to constantly read hateful things was hard for a normal person. Her son had been bullied for being different all his life and his family had to watch him closely to make sure he did not go to a dark place over the postings.