I have noted the 2020 'occupation' by the New Westralia secessionists of the National Trust heritage courthouse museum in York, Western Australia.
The building was damaged, the group got some publicity for beliefs about sovereignty and the wickedness of the papacy, and no one was hurt.
Three members of the group have now been ordered to pay over $27,000 in fines and compensation.
The ABC notes that
The occupancy was streamed live on social media. The group brought a toilet bucket to see them through the weekend and drilled holes in the stone walls to set up their New Westralia banners. They also raised a flag.
Wade William Guerin, 32, pleaded not guilty to trespass and damage at his Northam Magistrates Court trial on Thursday. His plea was despite footage being uploaded to social media showing him smashing through a door of the 1852 building.
The amateur footage, taken by the group, showed the self-styled 'Magistrate Pumphrey' — identified by police in court as William David Atherton — holding a bible and saying, "open the doors in the name of the law" and "the bishop of Rome has no jurisdiction in this here realm of England".
The incident triggered the building's alarm and police attended with body-worn cameras.
'It sounded legitimate' Mr Guerin told Magistrate Donna Webb he had arrived in Australia about four months earlier and was working on farms for accommodation as the pandemic struck. He said Mr Atherton arrived on the farm to give a speech about the "government of New Westralia" which was a "Christian nation". "It all sounded legitimate," Mr Guerin said. "He said there were a few things we needed to do and one was reclaim the York courthouse. "I believe I was genuinely, honestly doing the right thing, I thought this was a genuine government." Under cross-examination Mr Guerin, who was representing himself, acknowledged he should have done more research. "Looking back I wish I had done more investigation," he told the court.
Police body worn camera footage, played at the trial, shows a local police sergeant speaking to Mr Atherton who tells the officer to "return to barracks" and "surrender your firearms". Following the event, Mr Atherton, 54, spent two months in custody before being found 'unfit to stand trial'. Mary Frances Mount, 64, and Gary Thomas Hutton, 69, did not front court for their trial, but were each found guilty of trespass and damage in their absence. Ms Mount was also convicted of obstructing police during her arrest nearby after she left the old courthouse to buy food.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Sita said the group had "no lawful right. They were not leaseholders and they were not on the title deeds." He said the actions were the result of a "fantasy" and commands to police came from an "imaginary magistrate Pumphrey". "A reasonable person would think, 'why are we breaking into a building that is a museum at 6.30 in the morning?'," ...
Magistrate Webb said ... "I struggle to understand how you got caught up in all of this," she told Mr Guerin. She said the group’s organisation and the fact that it was a historic building made the offence serious.
Webb fined Guerin $5,000, Hutton $5,500 and Mount $6,000. The group’s New Westralia banners and flags were forfeited. Guerin, Hutton and Mount were also ordered to pay $10,500 between them for the damage to the National Trust building.
Guerin's current LinkedIn profile describes him as 'Ambassador at The Government of New Westralia (de jure)'
