Council Watch head fights intervention order bid from Victorian mayor
The head of a local government advocacy organisation is in court this week for an intervention order hearing over allegations of harassment.
An inner-city Melbourne mayor is seeking a protection order against Dean Hurlston, who runs the Council Watch organisation, over allegations of ongoing harassment.
Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr told a civil contest hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court she had endured six years of targeted harassment from Mr Hurlston.
In April, Cr Sehr was granted an interim order against Mr Hurlston.
She is now seeking a full personal safety intervention order (PSIO).
A PSIO protects an individual from unwanted behaviour, including physical and mental harm.
An interim order can be made until an application for a final order is determined.
Mr Hurlston is not facing criminal charges and denies he is a safety threat to Cr Sehr.
Giving evidence on Monday, Cr Sehr referred to a 486-page document containing social media posts, comments, texts, and emails from Mr Hurlston, Council Watch, and other users engaging with the content that she told the court had humiliated, harassed, mocked and intimidated her.
Cr Sehr alleged Mr Hurlston's "unrelenting stream of mockery, belittlement and abuse" began in 2019, after Stonnington council's decision to build a series of netball courts near his home.
She told the court that by 2022, 85 per cent of all posts on the Council Watch and Stonnington Council Watch pages referred to her.
The hearing, which is expected to go for four days, continues.
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