A Perth man is facing a possible five-year jail sentence after allegedly making hundreds of harassing phone calls to a federal department in the space of just two months.
The Rockingham man, 43, appeared in the Northbridge Magistrates Court on Saturday, charged with making more than 700 calls to the switchboard of the Federal Attorney-General’s Department.
Australian Federal Police officers, who arrested the man on Friday, said when the offending began on December 9 last year the man had called the department at intervals of between two and five seconds over a three-hour period.
The offending continued until February 10 this year, police say, with the man accused of being abusive to operators during some of the calls.
AFP commander John Tanti said police had zero tolerance for anyone harassing or threatening people at work or elsewhere.
“These types of calls are not only a frustrating waste of resources for the offices targeted, they can be distressing and concerning for the people who answer them,” Tanti said.
Bail was refused and the man is due to appear again in the Perth Magistrates Court on Monday. The maximum penalty for the offence is five years’ imprisonment.
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