‘Death threat’, stalking, assault: Environmentalist’s alleged intimidation spree

A prominent environmentalist and former Greens councillor is accused of intimidating forestry workers, local politicians and their relatives, including sending a “death threat” to a mayor’s mother, stalking and abusing a man enjoying time with his family and running at a logger’s car, causing it to hit a tree.

Dozens of pages of court documents outline 13 charges against Mark Graham, relating to a long-running saga between the ex-Coffs Harbour councillor and the state-owned Forestry Corporation.

The 49-year-old admitted to stalking a forestry worker in front of his family as well as driving through a forest barricade, hurling abuse at loggers and stealing dozens of tree tags. He is also accused of telling Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams’ mother she’d earned a “place in hell”, assaulting a police officer and causing Williams to call Triple Zero after following her inside a private council briefing.

The NSW Supreme Court documents were released as Graham was granted bail after six weeks in custody on remand – while the activist has publicly claimed he’s been the target of intimidation since an assault by two forestry workers several years ago.

Police allege Graham “spews vitriol” against NSW Forestry Corporation staff, with his “unhealthy hatred” risking their safety, and officers intervening in his “countless interactions” with them and politicians. They claim he has “little regard” for court orders.

Trespassed, ‘swung’ at logger and stole tree tags

A well-known environmental campaigner, Graham served a term as a Coffs Harbour councillor from 2008, has held various government agency roles and has had repeated run-ins with the state-owned Forestry Corporation.

One such confrontation happened on July 24 last year, when Graham and another man (who was filming), walked into the closed Orara East State Forest. Graham began yelling at loggers about harm to koalas, then removed record-keeping tags from felled trees. When told he “can’t do that”, Graham called the loggers “criminals” and “swung his hand at [redacted] several times” before leaving with 50 tags.

The next day, he drove through a barricade at the closed Sheas Nob State Forest and told loggers they were “the greater glider extinctors from the sticks” during a rant about water supplies. He left after repeated requests.

Graham pleaded guilty to larceny and two counts of trespassing.

Accused of forcing logger to crash into tree

Two months later, Graham allegedly followed a logger who’d been conducting ecological surveys in Little Newry State Forest. Driving a white Toyota Hilux, he allegedly pulled up behind the man, who recognised him from “other dealings”.

As the logger tried to leave, Graham allegedly stopped directly behind him and left his car, “scaring the victim”. Graham allegedly ran at the car while recording and “talking loudly”.

“The victim was fearful of the actions and movements of the accused towards him and reversed his vehicle into a tree” before he managed to drive off, court documents allege.

Police say they later found two videos on a public Facebook page, one captioned: “Koala extinction logger at Little Newry reverses into Koala habitat tree… true single tree selection”.

Graham has not yet entered a plea, court records show.

‘Killing his own kids’: Stalked forestry worker at Botanic Gardens

On a Sunday afternoon last spring, Graham approached a Forestry Corporation employee who was with his family at the Botanic Gardens.

“That’s Mark Graham. We have to get out of here,” the victim told his partner, feeling “fearful of what the accused was going to do to him or his family,” court documents say.

As the man held a child, Graham stood within a metre, shouting: “Shame on you for destroying your children’s future… and profiting from it... Eternal shame, anybody that works for the Forestry Corporation.”

When the victim said he didn’t need Graham’s “crap”, Graham replied: “Well you’re gonna get it… your work is despicable… Forestry Corporation filth killing his own kids”.

As the man walked away, Graham continued, calling him “vile corrupt forestry corporation filth” and accusing him of “the most heinous, despicable, vile and eternal advance”.

The victim described feeling “extremely fearful and intimidated,” while he was enjoying time with his family.

One week later, police saw Graham at an intersection. He ran into bushland before being arrested. He later pleaded guilty to stalking or intimidation.

Mayor called triple zero; police allegedly assaulted

Seven months later, in May, Graham allegedly walked into a private Coffs Harbour Council briefing and recorded video as he asked mayor Nikki Williams about the Jetty Foreshores Development. He allegedly refused to leave and followed Williams as she tried to walk away, causing her to call police. Graham allegedly said: “shame on you” before leaving and posting a video online.

The next month, on June 25, he allegedly breached bail and an AVO by protesting outside the Forestry Corporation office, which he was banned from approaching. After police received footage, they went to his house, and upon Graham refusing their request to come outside, they walked in.

Graham allegedly filmed the officers and handed his phone to his partner, telling her not to let them have it.

“Police have reached out to take hold of the accused’s arms, and he twisted away saying ‘Don’t you take me ... Let me go’ as he attempted to run across the bed… in the direction of the building’s open door,” court documents allege, adding he “kicked out, striking [an officer] a number of times as he was taken to the ground”.

He was arrested and taken to a police station, where he was allegedly “rude and abusive” towards police.

Graham pleaded not guilty to trespassing over the council briefing, as well as assaulting an officer and resisting arrest over the June incident, but admitted to breaching an AVO.

‘A place in hell’: Alleged threat to mayor’s mother

On July 8, Graham allegedly messaged Williams’ mother on Facebook, saying: “Your lil love heart emoji on the assault video just earnt [sic] you a (lawful, peaceful and non-violent) place in Hell.”

Police allege this amounted to a “death threat” and frightened the victim. In the same message, Graham allegedly called Williams “despicable, racist… [and] corrupt”.

He has pleaded not guilty to stalking or intimidating, using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend and attempting to intimidate. He has not entered a plea on resisting arrest.

Bail granted and a past assault against Graham

The Crown opposed bail, arguing Graham posed an unacceptable risk of committing a serious offence and endangering victims or others.

“The Crown submits the applicant has expressed a persistent and obsessive attitude towards forestry and related workers… [and] appears willing to engage in stalking, threatening and intimidating behaviour to these persons,” submissions read.

However, Graham’s lawyer, Mary Keaney, argued detention was not justified due to his prior lack of criminal history and previous “good character,” that “a total of two” bail breaches were alleged over 10 months and a prison sentence was “unlikely”.

Keaney noted Graham’s “hardship” in custody due to being unable to care for his family or manage his tourism business.

Ultimately, Justice Richard Weinstein granted bail with conditions including good behaviour, daily police reporting, and a 5am-9pm home curfew.

Court records show Graham has himself been assaulted during his long-running conflict with forestry workers.

In January last year, two contractors were found guilty (without convictions recorded) of assaulting Graham and a companion more than four years ago. They received the equivalent of good behaviour bonds.

Keyboard wars and Facebook videos

Graham regularly posts Facebook videos identifying police officers, politicians and forestry corporation staff - calling them names such as “violent criminals”.

One video posted in July referenced a February 2024 incident, predating the charges before the courts.

In the video, posted to seek support for his “campaign for justice against corrupt cops and Forestry Corporation,” Graham tells a forestry worker: “this is my home, you koala killing scumbag”.

“You filthy sod, you just pushed me,” he says, as the forestry worker laughs and says Graham is in his “personal space”.

A fellow logger, also filming the incident, later asks Graham to “move” so he can “load up” and the video ends.

The Herald has seen correspondence preceding the February 2024 incident depicted in the first video.

The correspondence shows Graham wrote to the Forestry Corporation NSW (FCNSW) on January 10, claiming its workers had trespassed on his property and removed a tree which was habitat for a threatened species.

In response, the FCNSW said the tree posed a safety hazard across the forest road and that the method of removing the tree was appropriate but that, on reflection, they should have contacted the landholder beforehand and apologised for not doing so.

According to Graham’s Facebook post, the FCNSW then installed a gate on a public road which prevented access to his property, and after Graham “fought against them” to move it, they installed it on his property. He claimed these were the version of events before he is seen in the video approaching them and saying: “This is my home.”

In the caption of another video posted on the same day – which he’d posted before – Graham referenced the assault by two forestry workers, which they were found guilty of.

The video shows Graham walk out of bushland, onto a road where another man was being spoken to, and, while recording, start talking to a forestry worker.

The worker lunges at Graham as Graham asks him not to touch him. The logger pushes him against a car and yells at another man who was recording the incident to give him his phone. That man was forced to the ground on his back. Eventually, Graham and his companion drive off.

In another video, taken in 2022 following what Graham described as a “peaceful and non-violent actions against criminal/illegal old growth extinction logging,” Graham was arrested and taken away by police.

Graham’s current matters, including his sentencing over the guilty pleas, will be heard at Coffs Harbour Local Court later this month.

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