Allegations against Petros Khalesirad revealed as Rob Pyne refuses to apologise over pregnant MP ‘stalker’ incident

Anthony Templeton, Melanie Petrinec, The Courier-Mail
September 8, 2017 12:00am
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/crime-and-justice/allegations-against-petros-khalesirad-revealed-as-rob-pyne-refuses-to-apologise-over-pregnant-mp-stalker-incident/news-story/ad9c9c0862ad1c77f9344b209b5e9e72

AN UNREPENTANT Rob Pyne has refused to apologise for allowing a man into State Parliament who is charged with stalking a pregnant MP, saying he believes the man is innocent.

The Courier-Mail can today reveal the extent of the allegations against Petros Khalesirad, who was sworn into Parliament on Tuesday by Mr Pyne in a “grave” security breach.

Bail documents filed in the Supreme Court, obtained by The Courier-Mail, reveal Khalesirad allegedly asked the neighbours of Keppel MP Brittany Lauga – who he is accused of stalking – about her morning routine and how many bedrooms she had in her house.

The bail documents also reveal a spate of angry Facebook messages sent by the self-styled political journalist to Ms Lauga.

Police also allege Khalesirad posted Ms Lauga’s private number and a picture of her home on Facebook.

Mr Pyne, who is now facing an ethics committee investigation into his behaviour in swearing Khalesirad into Parliament, yesterday said he would not apologise unless Khalesirad was found guilty, and questioned whether Ms Lauga was using stalking allegations to gag someone trying to investigate her.

Keppel MP Brittany Lauga. Picture: Annette Dew

“It seems to me that stalking is just a code word here for someone who is trying to investigate wrongdoing,” the Cairns MP said.

“I’d put money on him not being found guilty of stalking – I’d put a lot of money on it.

“If this gentleman is found guilty of stalking or harassing I will apologise unreservedly (but) I certainly don’t think that will be the case.”

Mr Pyne’s actions drew condemnation from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk yesterday, who said it could be a “very serious contempt of Parliament”.

“Those actions appear to have been very, very deliberate,” she said.

“The member concerned (Ms Lauga) is very distressed by this and I have personally spoken with her and reassured her if there’s anything I can do to assist her.


“I think everybody is shocked, not just members of this House, not just the staff that work here, but I think the widespread the community is also shocked especially when it is such a serious issue.”

Petros Khalesirad. Picture: Chris Ison / The Morning Bulletin

Mr Pyne is facing a fine or potential suspension from State Parliament for his behaviour, which could also prompt a wider security review of the parliamentary precinct.

Speaker Peter Wellington said there was a “prima facie” case that security procedures had been breached by Mr Pyne.

“I take breaches of our security procedures very seriously because of the potential risks posed to members, staff and the public,” he said.

“This matter involves wider issues of policy, including what sanctions are appropriate to be instituted against members for failing to follow security procedures whilst also taking into account the rights of members.”

According to the court documents obtained by The Courier-Mail, Ms Lauga’s neighbours, Jonathan and Shae Joyce, told police Khalesirad approached them as an IT expert to grow their business and made a number of inquiries about Ms Lauga.

“He asked about her daily routine, like when we saw her and if we knew when she was home,” Mrs Joyce said.


“He further asked if we had been inside her house and what it looked like from inside, and how many bedrooms it had.”

Cairns MP Rob Pyne. Picture: Annette Dew

Mrs Joyce said she also thought Khalesirad was “trying to work out what times Brittany was out walking her dog and if she was alone”.

“With all these questions he covered himself by saying things like, I wonder how many bedrooms her house has – it looks so large from the outside. And she keeps so fit walking her dog, I don’t know how she finds the time with her busy schedule,” Mrs Joyce said.

In an affidavit he tendered to the court, Khalesirad said he had no intention of being violent towards Ms Lauga or her family but it was “impossible” to keep 100m away from her as he had customers near her electorate office.

DV Connect chief executive Diane Mangan would not comment directly on the matter but said stalking was extremely serious.

“It is well known that stalking is very dangerous and can escalate into serious harm,” she said.

Khalesirad’s trial has begun in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court and is scheduled to resume in December.


The Courier-Mail unsuccessfully tried to contact Mr Khalesirad yesterday.