A model has admitted to illegally slandering a photographer she once worked for while he had an apprehended violence order against her.
Emma Lousie Swinson, from Byron Bay, pleaded guilty to breaching the AVO to protect photographer Robin Merritt, 56, after ‘abusively’ texting his assistant.
The 43-year-old’s AVO, imposed in September, banned Swinson from using social media to verbally assault, threaten, harass or intimidate him or incite anyone else to do so, Daily Telegraph reported.
Emma Lousie Swinson (pictured) has admitted to breaching an AVO put in place to protect a photographer she once worked for
Swinson (pictured), 43, pleaded guilty to breaching the AVO to protect photographer Robin Merritt, 56, after ‘abusively’ texting his assistant
Mr Merritt took legal action following a ‘fall out’ with Swinson, who worked with him for three months before he claimed she started a ‘hate campaign’ against him online.
‘I worked with her over three months before deciding to terminate her services due to a falling out and our business relationship was no longer appropriate,’ his AVO application read.
The AVO banned Swinson from using social media to verbally assault, threaten, harass or intimidate him or incite anyone else to do so (Mr Merritt pictured)
‘In August 2016 (Swinson) began a hate campaign against me stating things like ‘Robin Merritt is disgusting, sexually lecherous, and a predator and has unwanted sex with women’.’
He alleged the model, who he hired in April 2016 as a make up artist and assistant for Gold Coast photo shoots, made a series of damaging posts over a 12 month period.
She was ordered by the Bankstown Local Court in September to remove all posts relating to Mr Merritt, but less than two months later breached her conditions.
Swinson sent Mr Merritt’s new assistant a series of abusive texts on November 27, which police later found breached the AVO against her.
‘And I thought you were lovely and stuck up for you…omg I was wrong,’ one of the messages read.
She pleaded guilty in Mullumbimby Local Court on July 23 and was handed a nine month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded.
Swinson sent Mr Merritt’s new assistant a series of abusive texts on November 27, which police later found breached the AVO against her (one of the texts pictured)
Mr Merritt (right) alleged the model, who he hired in April 2016 as a make up artist and assistant for Gold Coast photo shoots, made a series of damaging posts over a 12 month period
Mr Merritt, a 2014 Australian of the Year nominee, had been in the photography trade about 40 years when he claimed Swinson caused ‘irreparable’ damage to his reputation.
He said he went a year without paid work and suffered a ‘devastating impact’ to his well being and reputation, which he feared would take at least a decade to repair.
Posts about him online also lead to threats to his personal safety, he claimed, with people saying they would bash him up.
He announced to his Facebook followers he would be setting his photography business aside to study law and criminology at university.
Swinson (pictured) pleaded guilty in Mullumbimby Local Court on July 23 and was handed a nine month good behaviour bond with no conviction recorded