A man accused of threatening ABC TV host Stan Grant uploaded a video to social media of him allegedly hurling swear words at the Indigenous journalist – two days before he stepped down as host of Q+A.
Michael Steven Davis appeared before Fairfield Local Court in southwest Sydney on Wednesday charged with three counts of using a carriage to threaten serious harm and to threaten, harass or insult.
He was also charged with using a carriage service to threaten serious harm.
Further, the 41-year-old is the subject of a pre-trial detention order issued by police on Grant’s behalf and entered in Downing Center local court.
Now it can be revealed that on May 22, Davis uploaded two allegedly abusive videos, addressing Grant directly.
In one he said, “This is a message for my husband, Stan Grant, the son of a bitch.”
Michael Steven Davis (pictured) allegedly threatened ABC host Stan Grant in online videos
Grant reported receiving online threats to police on May 23 and was seen with wife Tracey Holmes at Randwick Police Station in eastern Sydney the next day
“Buddy, if I see you on the fucking street, you call my damn people scum, I’m gonna beat the living damn shit out of you, you piece of f***ing s**t,” he reportedly said.
In another video posted to Twitter, Davis appeared furious as he reportedly said, “I’m coming to fuck you – you racist piece of goddamn sh*t, I’ll fuck you up.”
Two days later, on May 24, Davis livestreamed the moments leading up to his arrest – telling that he had done “nothing wrong” and blaming left-wing ideologies for his impending arrest.
“I’m racing home now because apparently the police are at my house,” he told viewers.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but if I have to take a chance, someone – some lefty jerk is freaking out right now and they’re off and had an ab*tchy moment because I said something they did” not fun.’
“These are hurt people all because I tried Stan Grant? All I said to him was, “If I see you on the street, I’m going to laugh at you.”
Davis, who identifies on social media as a “right-wing Christian conservative,” is said to have said of Grant at the time, “You’re a celebrity, you deserve whatever you get.”
When he got home, the police were waiting outside.
The officer said, “You’re under arrest for threats against Stan Grant.”
Davis replied, “No, no, I just said if I see him on the street I’m going to take a chance.”
The officer interrupted: “You are under arrest in connection with..”
Davis interrupted and said ‘no, that’s not me’, to which the policeman said ‘yes, you are’.
The police then tried to take Davis’s phone, after which his wife Katia Davis began to cry to her husband, “I told you this would happen.”
During his brief appearance on Wednesday at Fairfield Local Court, Davis repeatedly squeezed his eyes shut.
He was represented by attorney Peter Mitchell, who said his client suffered from anxiety.
Grant reported receiving online threats to police on May 23 and was seen with him wife Tracey Holmes attending Randwick police station inside Sydneyis in the east the next day.
The couple arrived at about 1:50 p.m. and were in about an hour before Grant left the building, followed by Holmes about 15 minutes later.
Davis was arrested the same day and released on bail after being charged.
Bail terms stipulate that Davis may not assault, threaten, stalk, harass, or intimidate Grant or Holmes, destroy or damage their property, or harm any animal belonging to them.
Michael Steven Davis is pictured, left, with his lawyer outside Fairfield Local Court on Wednesday
He must not approach Grant or Holmes or contact them in any way, including through social media, and must not attempt to find the pair.
A NSW police spokeswoman said officers from the Sydney City Police Area Command received a report of alleged online threats against Grant at around 11:50am on May 23.
“Police have launched an investigation into the incident,” she said. After an investigation, police arrested a 41-year-old man in Fairfield Heights at 6:40 p.m [on May 24].
“The man was taken to Fairfield Police Station where he was charged with using carriages to inflict serious injury and carriages to threaten/intimidate/insult.”
Grant revealed on May 19 that he was stepping down from hosting ABC’s flagship panel discussion show after just ten months in the role.
The 59-year-old said he parted ways after being subjected to “relentless racist filth.” He accused the ABC of “institutional failure” and claimed that no one in senior management had offered him public support.
Grant presented his final episode of Q+A on May 22, when he told the audience, “I’m down now…but I’ll get back up.”
“I’ve had to learn that endurance isn’t always strength,” he said.
“Sometimes the power is knowing when to say stop. And to those who have sent messages of support, thank you very much. But I’ll be fine.’
Separately, Grant has pulled out of a speaking engagement in Cairns after police warned him it could be dangerous for him to attend.
Instead, he will give his keynote presentation via a video link.
Grant said racist abuse against him had increased since he appeared on ABC’s coverage of King Charles’s coronation earlier this month.
That broadcast was widely criticized by viewers for focusing on England’s colonial past and questioning the role of the monarchy.
“To those who abused me and my family, I’d like to say, if your goal was to hurt me, well, you succeeded,” Grant said on his last night as host of the show;
‘And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I must have given you so much reason to hate me so much, attack me and my family, make threats against me.
‘I’m down now. I am. But I will rise again. And you can come to me again, and I will meet you with the love of my people.
“My people can teach the world to love. As Martin Luther King Jr. said of his struggle, “We will exhaust you with our ability to love everyone.”
However, Grant also said he walked out not because of racism or hatred on social media, but because of a wider disenchantment with the media.
“I need a break from the media. I feel like I’m part of the problem. And I have to wonder how and if we can do better.’
Grant ended by thanking his family, spoke a few words in his native Wiradjuri, and then simply said “good night.”
Earlier that day, hundreds of ABC employees across the country walked out of offices in solidarity with Grant.
Holmes joined the protest in Sydney with her husband’s ex-wife, SBS journalist Karla Grant, and his daughter, NITV journalist Lowanna Grant.
Dozens of ABC staff also gathered outside Parliament House in Canberra and the national broadcaster’s Southbank base in Melbourne.
Lowanna Grant became emotional as she told the crowd in Sydney about the toll her father’s abuse had taken on her entire family.
“It’s really hard to see him struggle, and that he’s had to deal with the racism and disgusting filth that’s been online,” she said.
“I’m so grateful to everyone here today who supports him, and not just my dad but all the other First Nation journalists.”
Karla Grant told the crowd in Sydney that racial abuse was an ongoing problem for Indigenous reporters and her family.
“It’s an accumulation of years of racism that our people have faced,” she said.
“Enough is enough and we must take a stand.”
Davis’s case was adjourned to Downing Center local court on August 22.