Jail suspended for bomb hoax
COMMONWEALTH Games protester Dylan Voller was in hospital when he made a triple-0 call claiming there was a bomb at the finishing line of the marathon.
Two days before the call, Voller asked police if the closing ceremony would go ahead “if ISIS called up with a bomb scare”. Asked if he knew of any threat, he told police “you’ll have to wait and see”.
Voller, 21, pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court yesterday to one count of making a bomb threat on April 15 last year.
He was in a mental health hospital after he tried to selfharm in the back of a police car on April 13.
Voller, also known to police as Gangster Crabclaws, came to prominence after footage was exposed of him being abused as a teenager at the Don Dale Detention Centre in the Northern Territory.
The activist was a member of the Stolenwealth Games protesters who caused disruptions throughout last year’s Games on the Gold Coast. Its motive was to raise awareness of indigenous issues.
Judge Catherine Muir yesterday sentenced Voller to six months in prison, which was immediately suspended.
“It was a hoax and it remains a serious offence,” she said.
Judge Muir said the steps Voller had taken towards rehabilitation were impressive.
“You will be in a powerful position to make change in this country, not only for Aboriginal children,” she said.
“You can only do that by leading by example and the offence I am sentencing you for is not leading by example.”
The court was given a number of glowing references, including an unsigned letter from Steven Oliver, an actor in skit TV show Black Comedy and the movie Thor.
Mr Oliver said he met Voller in Alice Springs after being told Voller was a fan of Black Comedy. He said Voller spoke “of his desire to make a difference in the world that includes the betterment for our people”.
Police liaison officer Matthew Mills met Voller during the Commonwealth Games protest and said many in the protest group were taking advantage of Voller’s profile and “not considering Mr Voller’s safety or wellbeing”.
Crown prosecutor Matt Hynes said Voller made the call from hospital and said there was a bomb at the finish line of the marathon.
“Police took it seriously in regard to going to a venue and conducting a search,” he said.
Mr Hynes said police did not evacuate or alert the public as an earlier search of the Broadwater Parklands had found nothing.
Voller’s barrister David Funch, instructed by Howden Saggers Lawyers, said Voller was hoping to continue work to help raise awareness of the conditions and difficulties faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth.
IT WAS A HOAX AND IT REMAINS A SERIOUS OFFENCE.
JUDGE CATHERINE MUIR