A female Queensland politician has accused under-fire Liberal MP Andrew Laming of “weaponizing” social media to attack women, saying she felt as though he “put a bounty” on her head.
On Thursday, Mr. Laming apologized to parliament hours before Channel 9 aired allegations he had subjected women to online bullying, which left one feeling suicidal.
Queensland Labor MP Kim Richards has now alleged she has been subjected to a “targeted, sustained, long-term” online campaign by Mr. Laming. She claimed Mr. Laming had “weaponized social media as a tool to attack women”, saying she was forced to block him to “protect my mental health”.
“It’s just been constant. I blocked him years ago for my mental health,” she said. “The character assassination, the personal nature of the way he’s posting, is harassing and bullying by its very existence.”
Ms. Richards said constituents in Redlands, where she has been a state MP since 2017, were “fearful” of Mr. Laming because of his online behavior. A spokesman for Mr. Laming rejected this claim, saying all social media comments related to policy and political matters in his electorate.
Ms. Richards said Mr. Laming posted a photo he took of her without her knowledge while meeting constituents in a park. “(He was) saying that I was the one that was awkward and creepy for being in a park, when in fact he’s photographing me talking to my constituents and family members from behind bushes,” she said.
In another post, Mr. Laming also offered constituents $100 to a charity of their choice if they could locate where she had been on Valentine’s Day. Where were you exactly a week ago on Valentine’s Day? … Please ask Kim. $100 donation to your chosen charity if she provides,” he wrote.
Mr. Laming’s spokesman said this was an attempt to expose details of a meeting Ms. Richards had held with ALP-leaning candidates. She also said Mr. Laming offered a coastal holiday to the community “in an attempt to get them to be chasing me down and question me”.
