Death threats anti-Indigenous manifesto slammed in court
A Sydney man has admitted to sending a violent manifesto that threatened Indigenous people, Invasion Day protesters and Muslims, as a Sydney court pushed back sentencing to next month to clarify all charges before it.
Raymond John Brookes has pleaded guilty to three counts of sending a document threatening to kill. He has yet to enter a plea to a fourth charge relating to a separate letter sent to NSW Labor MP Jason Clare in late 2023.
Brookes appeared by video link in a brief hearing at Bankstown Local Court on Tuesday, from Silverwater prison.
Key Points
- Sydney man admits three counts of sending a document threatening to kill
- Manifesto targeted Indigenous people, Invasion Day protesters and Muslims
- A fourth charge tied to Jason Clare letter awaits a plea
- Court adjourns sentencing to April 14 for charge clarification
- Police raided Belmore home January 24; fingerprints found on letters
Content and reach of the manifesto
Court materials state the four-page manifesto, titled “V for Vendetta”, sought to incite people to “reclaim Australia” through lethal violence.
It included death threats against Indigenous people, people protesting during Invasion Day rallies, and Muslims. It also called for “revenge” against Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, Muslims, the Labor Party, the Greens and “socialist” journalists at the ABC, SBS and the Guardian.
The Belmore resident urged action against those who marched on January 26, calling for anyone who protested during Invasion Day rallies to be “beaten to death” in the street. The document stated, “You must do your bit for Australia,” according to the court record of the letters he sent.
The manifesto referred to Senator Lidia Thorpe, the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, two nurses who allegedly threatened to kill Israeli patients, and pro-Palestinian protests held on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
It further called for mass deportations, a ban on immigration, and a total ban on protests. It concluded with a section on numerology, asserting that January 26 / “Australia Day” in 2026 represented “rebirth,” “regeneration” and “new beginnings”.
Next steps
Magistrate George Breton adjourned the sentence hearing to April 14 to obtain clarity on the charges, particularly the contents of the letter sent to Mr Clare.
The court will then proceed to sentence on the counts to which Brookes has pleaded guilty, based on the evidence including the mailings, the content of the documents and forensic findings cited in the court materials.
