August 17, 2016 2:00pm by David Farrar

A history of threats

An Invercargill MP feared for her safety when a man left a threatening phone message on her office phone, a judge has heard.

Steven Shane Lawrence, 52, admitted a charge of speaking threateningly when appearing in the Invercargill District Court on Thursday.

A police summary of facts says Lawrence made a phone call to the National MP office on August 3.

“[Lawrence] left a voice message for the local Minister of Parliament, who is the victim in this matter,” the summary says.

Lawrence identified himself in the message before saying in a threatening manner twice said he was going to “get her” and she didn’t even have to be in the building.

“This caused the victim to fear for her safety and police were notified,” the summary says.

Lawrence, when spoken to by police, said he phoned the victim because she was a local representative of the National Party and he felt angry towards the party “due to their involvement in the Holy War”.

He doesn’t stop at threats:

On a separate matter, Lawrence pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault with a blunt instrument and was remanded in custody until September for a case review hearing.

And he has done this before reports the Herald:

A “lonely man” who pretended to be a radical terrorist in emails to Members of Parliament where he threatened to put their heads on poles and pump them “full of bullets” has today been jailed for 11 months.

Steven Shane Lawrence, 50, sat in his Christchurch flat and seethed against the New Zealand government.

The loner was angry at a “Zionist” government he perceived to be in bed with America.

So, over a seven-day period in January, Lawrence sent a string of extremely graphic and abusive emails to several MPs.

One victim received a threat that he would be pumped full of bullets and that Lawrence would rejoice in his bloody death.

Another victim was threatened that she would “burn eternally in hell” and that her entrails would be spread across the streets.

Others were threatened with having their decapitated heads put on poles, while another was told her throat would be slit.

So he served his jail time (I hope he didn’t get parole) and almost straight away is doing the same thing. A longer jail sentence is needed to keep people safe.