A MAN who met a woman on a dating website and then constantly harassed her after she wanted nothing to do with him has now started serving a two-month jail sentence.
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Matthew McIver, 25, of Leahy Street, Hamilton, was jailed after pleading guilty at the end of July in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to charges including using a carriage service to harass, bail offences and dangerous driving.
He lodged an appeal against the severity of a two-month jail sentence and 12-month community corrections order and this week that appeal has heard in the Warrnambool County Court.
Judge John Smallwood learned about the circumstances of the offending and immediately asked what was wrong with the penalty imposed.
"I think he got out of this well. The dangerous driving was worth that alone. You need to have a chat with him (McIver),'" the judge told barrister Ian Duffy.
"To do all that and ring up straight after being released on bail. I'm making my view very clear (if the appeal continues) all bets are off," Judge Smallwood said, indicating he may impose a longer jail sentence.
Police previously told a magistrate that McIver had made hundreds of phone calls and sent 500 text messages and Facebook posts.
After being arrested on Sunday, July 24, he was released from police custody at 3.50pm that day.
But McIver breached an intervention order within an hour by contacting the woman, was arrested again and then remanded in custody.
Police said the background was that Mr McIver and the woman had met last year via a dating service.
In June this year McIver made contact hundreds of time with the woman and she decided to have nothing to do with him after she became aware of his criminal past.
He became aggressive and on July 2 McIver rang her 200 times.
Police said that in those calls he made threats to stab the woman's family and friends and he said he knew where she lived in suburban Melbourne.
McIver also made three false Facebook accounts and he sent the woman and her family members messages.
On July 11 McIver threatened to stab the woman's brother.
That led to police investigations and McIver was arrested, charged but then released before he called the woman again.
