A Melbourne father who menaced one of Australia’s most decorated journalists during an anonymous phone call on Christmas Eve has been ordered to undertake anger management.
David Scholes, 32, phoned The Age investigative reporter Nick McKenzie and said he was capable of finding the journalist during an abusive call in 2025, which prompted a police investigation and a search of the caller’s home.
On Monday, Scholes took responsibility for his actions in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, which heard he wrote an apology letter after being charged with using a carriage service to menace.
Prosecutor Annina Tropea said Scholes was employed as the national business relationship manager for MA Services Group, a security and cleaning company which collapsed in December.
At the time, news articles were being published in the media about allegations of suspected tax evasion and sexual harassment involving MA Services founder and managing director Micky Ahuja, the court heard.
When the company went into voluntary administration, Scholes, his wife and his father lost their jobs.
The court heard that on December 24, Scholes turned off caller ID on his phone, and using a program he had access to, found and dialled McKenzie’s unlisted mobile number.
Over about two minutes, he abused the reporter, calling him a scumbag who was capable of being found.
“Bro, I hope you f—ing sleep well at night, you rat”, Scholes said.
“See how easy I found you.”
Police were called and Scholes was tracked down using the phone, which was registered in his name.
Scholes’ home in Fraser Rise, in Melbourne’s north-west suburbs, was also searched, and he made full admissions to making the call from the kitchen.
He told police the news articles had ruined the reputation of the company and there were rumours that more articles, about a wage subsidy scheme he and his wife ran, were to come.
“I said to him, you’re a lowlife … you’re a scumbag, you think it’s easy to find people being an investigative journalist, see how easy that I found you,” Scholes told police.
“Did I say anything bad to him? Trust me I could have gone 100 times worse.
“I was hoping he would get cut ’cause I’m like cut … you reckon you found all this shit on us … I can find you, it’s not hard.”
When McKenzie later called Scholes to ask if he was anonymous caller, Scholes denied it.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, McKenzie said he was one of a rising number of investigative journalists being targeted in this fear-evoking way.
McKenzie said receiving menacing and abusive calls from someone hiding their identity was distressing, all while he was reporting stories that were in the public interest, including MA Services’ alleged links to outlaw motorcycle gangs.
McKenzie is a Gold Walkley winner, who works for The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes.
Tropea said the penalty imposed on Scholes should serve as a deterrent to others.
“Journalists and media play an important role in the community. This type of menacing behaviour is designed to intimidate them from performing that role,” she said.
Defence lawyer Alastair Grigor said his client’s plan was ill-conceived, entirely out of character and he was remorseful and deeply regretted his actions.
Describing it as the worst decision of Scholes’ life, Grigor said his client accepted McKenzie was held in high regard across the county and was entitled to do his job. But at the time, Scholes wrongly believed the reporter was responsible for the MA job losses.
Magistrate Donna Bakos placed Scholes on a diversion plan, which allows first time offenders to be spared a criminal record.
The conditions include Scholes being of good behaviour for 12 months and completing an anger management program.
Scholes, who was supported in court by his wife, brother and parents, said nothing as he left court. Instead, his mother approached the media to say “it was only a phone call”.
The Age editor Patrick Elligett said it was pleasing to see people being held accountable for threatening journalists, which could have a chilling effect on public interest reporting if left unchecked.
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