University professor claimed she had been poisoned

A Sydney university dean who allegedly orchestrated a fake harassment campaign against herself has claimed she was poisoned by the same people ‘stalking’ her. 

Professor Dianne Jolley held the position of dean of science at the University of Technology Sydney when she was arrested in 2019 after a police investigation into the threatening letters she claims she was sent. 

Police allege the 50-year-old sent multiple letters to herself over the course of several months – which resulted in the university spending tens of thousands of dollars on extra security. 

UTS took extreme measures to protect Jolley (pictured, left) from the supposed threats, including hiring a private car to drive her to and from work 

Ms Jolley fronted court on Tuesday, with her lawyer saying she intends to plead not guilty to the ‘wild’ charges, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. 

She is charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, making a false representation resulting in a police investigation, and two counts of giving false information that a person or property is in danger. 

She was granted bail after her arrest, but police in January arrested Jolley again at a Woolooware residence and laid new charges after she allegedly sent an additional nine letters since her arrest. 

Jolley did not enter a plea to the new charges when the matter was heard in Sutherland Local Court on earlier this year, and her bail was revoked.

Police allege two of those new letters were received by UTS on November 27, the same day Jolley first appeared at Downing Centre Local Court. 

The letters were received after the university announced plans to cancel a Chinese medicine course that was part of the science faculty. 

As part of the police investigation records from a Sydney psychologist were obtained, which her defence lawyers claim was granted in a ‘secret court proceeding’. 

Jolley (pictured after her arrest in 2019) allegedly told police she had been receiving threatening letters, while police say she was sending them to herself 

Ms Jolley (pictured) claimed she was sent dozens of emails harassing her, so UTS gave her her own private car

Professor Dianne Jolley, the dean of science at the University of Technology Sydney, was arrested in November for allegedly sending fake threats to herself 

Magistrate Jennifer Giles said the notes from the psychologist contained nothing confidential.

But she added the notes from the psychologist were ‘enormously prejudicial’. 

Along with the psychologist notes the investigation was also given access to records from the UTS medical centre connected with a fall in July 2019. 

The magistrate said this was around the same month that Ms Jolley, an environmental chemist and toxicologist, ‘alleged she had been poisoned, possibly by the people who were stalking and threatening her’. 

The court previously heard two of the ten original letters allegedly contained ‘biohazard’ material. 

Also on Tuesday, the magistrate dismissed an application by the defence to subpoena correspondance from UTS about Ms Jolley and police notebook entries about the case, saying the tool is not to be used as a ‘fishing exercise’. 

She said the defence had also questioned the integrity of the officer in charge of the case, saying he had ‘failed to investigate the matter and the original threats properly’.  

 he case will return to court on August 4. 

Police said two of those letters were received by UTS (pictured) on November 27, the same day Jolley appeared at Downing Centre Local Court