WA senator gets ‘daily’ racist emails as man sentenced over death threats

Independent WA senator Fatima Payman said her office continues to receive daily racist messages after a 51-year-old Ballarat man escaped jail after sending death threats to her via email in March.

Sean David Sharman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to an 18-month community corrections order and ordered to treat his alcohol addiction in Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

In the emails, Sharman mocked Payman’s Muslim faith and told him in a threatening message that he had found a bullet with his name on it.

Payman told this imprint that he accepted the court’s sentence, but that there needed to be stronger deterrent measures against racism and hate speech, which his office continues to take every day.

“I believe the court considered all the evidence and imposed the appropriate sentence,” he said.

Loading

“I don’t want anyone to face imprisonment in inappropriate circumstances, but a stronger message needs to be sent that there is no room for hatred and racism.

“While this email is particularly disgusting, I receive messages like this every day via email, social media and phone.”

Payman said he paid the price for the abuse.

“This creates a huge burden not only for me, but for my staff, and hinders my office’s ability to serve the people of WA to the best of our ability,” he said.

The ABC reported that Judge Julia Barling said the sentence was not a lenient sentence and that Sharman would likely have gone to prison if he had a previous conviction.