A 27-year-old man who told a friend he would kill his ex-partner with a machete has been sentenced to time already served in custody.
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Lee Wadham made the threats in March, around the same time he expressed aspirations of filming a massacre.
The Ballarat Magistrates Court was told on Thursday Wadham called his ex-partner on March 15 while "very angry, and was talking about the New Zealand massacre in Christchurch".
He said he was angry because someone had stolen his idea about wearing a Go-Pro camera whilst shooting people.
Between March 15 and 18 Wadham sent his ex-partner 200 text messages and rang her 140 times.
Texts stated he was "threatening to take his own life, the victim's life and anyone else who tried to get in his way".
On March 18, Wadham told Ararat police officers he did not make a threat but was "just using a saying, which she misinterpreted".
Three days later, police intercepted Wadham in Ararat driving an unregistered dark-coloured Chrysler, where they located a newly-purchased machete lying on the front seat.
When police questioned Wadham, he said the machete was to cut tie-down straps from his roof racks when he travelled.
The court was told on March 22, Wadham's ex-partner called Ararat Police Station having received a call from another witness, who said he'd been contacted by Wadham who was "on his way to Ballarat with a machete to kill" her.
Later that day Wadham was arrested. Police executed a search warrant at his house and seized a laptop, two mobile phones, a hard drive and one ziplock bag of cannabis.
In an interview with police, Wadham made full admissions to possessing the cannabis.
Defence lawyer Scott Belcher submitted his client's pre-sentence detention satisfied any punishment required.
He said a community corrections order should be imposed to address rehabilitation and community protection.
"Since my client's release on bail, he has not consumed alcohol, or drugs, and had not been on any social media websites," Mr Belcher said.
He said the counter terrorism unit took the view he wasn't a terrorist threat, but required mental health treatment.
Magistrate John Doherty sentenced Wadham to 76 days in jail, which has already been served, a 15-month community corrections order and $500 fine.
He pleaded guilty to eight charges, including two counts of making a threat to kill, two counts of using a carriage service to harass, possessing a controlled weapon, driving an unregistered vehicle and possessing cannabis.
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