December 24, 2024

Friendlyjordies producer is charged with stalking John Barilaro as the NSW deputy premier sues the controversial YouTuber over campaign of ‘racist’ videos accusing him of …

NSW Police #NSWPolice

A producer of YouTube channel Friendlyjordies has been charged with stalking NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro.

Police arrested Kristo Langker, 21, at his Dulwich Hill home, in Sydney’s inner west, and charged him with stalking offences on June 4.

Officers allege Mr Langker committed the offences against the deputy premier at Macquarie University on April 19 and in Sydney on June 4.

‘A man has been charged following investigations by the Fixated Persons Investigation Unit into alleged stalking offences,’ NSW Police said in a statement.

It is the latest development between the YouTube channel and Mr Barilaro who is suing its star Jordan Shanks-Markovina for defamation over a series of ‘vile and racist’ videos – one which calls the deputy state premier a ‘big, fat, wog c***’.

Police arrested Kristo Langker, 21, at his Dulwich Hill home, in Sydney's inner west, and charged him with stalking offences on June 4

Police arrested Kristo Langker, 21, at his Dulwich Hill home, in Sydney’s inner west, and charged him with stalking offences on June 4

Officers allege Mr Langker committed the offences against NSW deputy premier John Barilaro at Macquarie University on April 19 and in Sydney on June 4

Officers allege Mr Langker committed the offences against NSW deputy premier John Barilaro at Macquarie University on April 19 and in Sydney on June 4

Mr Langker has been granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Newtown Local Court on June 24. 

Footage of the arrest was uploaded to the YouTube channel showing Mr Langker being escorted by plain-clothed police from his home.

Mr Langker is seen in the video being told he is not allowed to film the arrest and he goes to hand his phone to his mother who is also filming. 

An argument then appears to break out and the camera is lowered in the commotion. Several moments later Mr Langker is seen lying on the front lawn, with his hands cuffed behind his back. 

Mr Langker’s mother exclaimed during this period that a police officer had assaulted her.

The police officer responds in the video by saying he tripped over. 

An outraged Mr Shanks-Markovina presented the footage in the YouTube clip to slam the arrest. 

He accused police of ‘storming in’ to Langker’s home, assaulting his family and taking him away in an unmarked police car, and said this was akin to an arrest in ‘Pinochet’s Chile’. 

Mr Langker’s lawyers have also slammed the conditions of their client’s bail conditions – which includes prohibiting him from possessing images or caricatures of Mr Barilaro, or commenting on his ‘personal appearance or behaviour’. 

In the YouTube video, Mr Shanks-Markovina also hit out at the defamation case brought against him by Mr Barilaro.  

He claimed the state’s deputy premier had ‘impulsively, maliciously escalated the situation at every turn’.  

‘In all honestly, every move I have made, no matter how ridiculous it appeared, has been both legal and considered,’ he said.

Footage of the arrest was uploaded to the YouTube channel showing Mr Langker being escorted by police from his home

Footage of the arrest was uploaded to the YouTube channel showing Mr Langker being escorted by police from his home

Mr Langker has been granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Newtown Local Court on June 24

Mr Langker has been granted strict conditional bail and is due to appear at Newtown Local Court on June 24

‘Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the deputy premier.’  

According to a statement of claim filed in the Federal Court in May by the MP, the videos in question greatly injured his reputation.

‘(He) has been and will be brought into public disrepute, odium, ridicule and contempt,’ the document said.

In one video, the entertainer refers to Mr Barilaro as a ‘big, fat, wog c***’, ‘greasy Ned Kelly’ and ‘a conman to the core, powered by spaghetti’. 

The NSW Nationals leader also complained he was given no opportunity to respond to the allegations in the videos, titled ‘bruz’ and ‘Secret Dictatorship’ and which were aired in September and October 2020. 

Mr Barilaro’s solicitors sent Mr Shanks-Markovina and Google letters in December 2020, demanding the videos be taken down due to their alleged defamatory nature.

The videos were also the subject of another letter sent to Google in January.

‘No response was ever received to the letter,’ the statement of claims said.

After news broke that the case was being filed, Mr Shanks-Markovina took to Twitter.

‘Hahahahaha,’ he posted.

The YouTube channel's star Jordan Shanks-Markovina is already being sued by the deputy premier for defamation over a series of videos

The YouTube channel’s star Jordan Shanks-Markovina is already being sued by the deputy premier for defamation over a series of videos

Jordan Shanks-Markovina then turned his attention to the current defamation case that has been brought against him by Mr Barilaro

Jordan Shanks-Markovina then turned his attention to the current defamation case that has been brought against him by Mr Barilaro

He then released a statement and said he was not as rich as Mr Barilaro and didn’t have a lawyer but the suit ‘could have terrible implications for free speech in this country’.

‘The very fact that John filed it proves he doesn’t care about his constituency… as he’ll be too busy in court to do his job.’ 

Shanks-Markovina has said he would be using a truth defence and had ‘a lot of people’ to subpoena.

He said in one video posted to YouTube that being sued by Mr Barilaro was ‘a long time coming’ and promised to call Mr Barilaro a ‘greasy little scrotum’ more often.

‘The deputy premier of NSW really likes destroying the environment of NSW and is using his office to enrich himself,’ Shanks-Markovina said.

‘I made fun of him for this so naturally, his response was to call me racist for putting on an Italian accent while doing this.’

Shanks-Markovina has said he would be using a truth defence and had 'a lot of people' to subpoena

Shanks-Markovina has said he would be using a truth defence and had ‘a lot of people’ to subpoena

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