Bid To Stop Web Postings

Newcastle Herald

Saturday January 3, 2009

By ALISON BRANLEY

A HUNTER taxi driver found to have vilified homosexual people on the internet in 2006 is expected to be back in court over more of his comments.

John Christopher Sunol, 51, of Mayfield, is expected to appear before the Supreme Court later this year for comments which included describing the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras as "full of corruption and child paedophilia [sic], much like Orkopolos [sic] the member for Swansea who has just been convicted".

The comments made between February and May this year appeared across a number of websites.

According to court documents, in one post on March 3 Mr Sunol said: "Mardi Gras is run by evil spirits and those who have an alternative agenda to bring around destruction to Australian society".

In another on March 2 he said: "Sydney is wicked and God's judgement is going to come upon this city, because of this sin from this event and other sins."

Mr Sunol said that he made the comments in private emails that were later posted on the internet and that some of the websites were password protected and not available to the public.

He said in some cases someone fraudulently changed the email address and posted the message in his name.

However he does not dispute the authorship of the postings.

"I stand by the things I said," he said.

"I admit I was angry but they were private emails."

The applicant, Henry Collier, successfully had a 2007 conciliation agreement with Mr Sunol registered in the Administrative Decisions Tribunal on September 3.

The agreement provided that Mr Sunol refrain from posting any further material on any website that vilified homosexuals.

Mr Collier is expected to seek to have registered an agreement enforced by the NSW Supreme Court this year in what could be a landmark case.

Mr Sunol was ordered to make a public apology in 2006.

© 2009 Newcastle Herald

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