Grace Tame feared for life after abuser’s alleged posts

Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame hit rock bottom and feared for her life after learning of “disturbing” social media posts allegedly directed at her by her childhood abuser.

Ms Tame gave evidence at Hobart Magistrates Court on Tuesday at a special hearing for Nicolaas Ockert Bester, who sexually abused her in 2010 when she was his 15-year-old student.

The court was told Bester kept a “revenge” folder on portable devices containing pictures and videos of Ms Tame, which was uncovered after a 2022 police raid.Bester was charged in 2022 with three counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and pleaded not guilty.

The 74-year-old allegedly made public posts on social media directed at Ms Tame, who was Australian of the Year in 2021, for her advocacy for survivors of sexual abuse.

Three public Twitter messages made from the account NicoBester3 in 2022 were read to the court.

All three made reference to Ms Tame’s school email address, which was linked to her then-Facebook account, the main means by which Bester messaged her during the abuse.

“At last I will come for (the email address),” the first post read.

The second said Bester was “coming” like Donald Trump and UK far-right figures Tommy Robinson and Milo Yiannopoulos and there was only “10 weeks to go”.

The third said “here it comes! Only four weeks to go! The good old comeuppance on its way (the email address).“

Ms Tame said she became aware of the Twitter posts incrementally and then realised the 10-week and four-week references were a countdown to the release of her book.

The posts took her back to the time of the abuse on the floor in his school classroom, she said.

“I was horrified, terrified and quite disturbed,” she said.

“To me this was a signal of a very real commitment to follow through with some kind of public-facing plan to inflict harm upon me.“

She feared Bester’s mention of her childhood email was a threat to release sexualised messaging between the pair from the time he groomed her.

“I was also legitimately scared for my life,” she said, adding he had previously told her stories about killing people during his time in the army.

“This is a man who had psychologically tortured and repeatedly raped me. I did not need to imagine his capacity to cause harm.“

Ms Tame said she ramped up security for her nationwide book tour as a result and was close to rock bottom with thoughts of suicide.

Tasmania Police constable Declan Gillett told the court a folder of media coverage of Ms Tame in a folder named “wraak” - Afrikaans for revenge - was found on Bester’s portable hard drives.

There was also an outgoing email from Bester’s email account to men’s rights activist and former sex therapist Bettina Arndt sent in 2017.

It included an attached document with purported Facebook messages sent between Bester and Ms Tame during the 2010 abuse, Const Gillett said.

If Ms Tame found out about the email in 2022, it would have been devastating, she said.

“Worst-case scenario, it would have driven me towards the end.“

Bester, who the court was previously told has dementia, was in February deemed unfit to stand trial for medical reasons.

In a special hearing, the court can make a finding of not guilty, not guilty on mental health grounds or that a finding of not guilty cannot be made.

A guilty verdict is not available.

Bester watched the hearing via a video link from an undisclosed location.

The former maths teacher was in 2011 sentenced to two years and 10 months in jail for abusing Ms Tame and for possessing child exploitation material.

He was jailed in 2016 for four months for producing child exploitation material after describing the abuse online.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028Lifeline 13 11 14beyondblue 1300 22 4636

- AAP