A former Australian Olympic boxer has avoided jail time after he admitted harassing and threatening a Victorian man over an unsettled debt.
Jason Eric Whateley, 31, was sentenced to a corrections order after the likes of actor Samuel Johnson told Melbourne Magistrates Court his offending was "out of character".
Whateley, who competed at the Rio Olympics and won a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, admitted using his phone to menace the victim in late August 2020.
The court was told there was a money dispute between the man and another person, although Whateley had no ties to either of them.
Over a two-week period, Whateley repeatedly called the victim's phone and left threatening voicemails.
Whateley then went to the victim's regional Victorian property with four other men on the afternoon of September 11.
One of the men in the group was holding a weapon as they yelled at the victim to come out of the house otherwise they would kill him.
No one was injured in the affray but magistrate Peter Reardon on Wednesday said it was clear the incident would have been terrifying for the victim.
The man told the court he felt like a prisoner in his own home and installed 16 security cameras to feel safe.
Whateley was in a downward spiral at the time of the offending, the court was told, with the 31-year-old resorting to drugs and alcohol to cope with Melbourne's COVID-19 lockdowns.
He would go on benders for days, he separated from his partner, and he became depressed as he couldn't box competitively or run his gym.
Mr Reardon noted Whateley was still supported by a number of people, including Johnson who described Whateley as a friend of 10 years who had raised more than $500,000 for cancer research.
A jail term was within range for such "outrageous" offending, Mr Reardon said, but Whateley would instead be sentenced to a community corrections order because of his guilty plea, lack of prior convictions and genuine remorse.
Whateley will have to complete treatment for drugs, alcohol, and mental health issues as part of his 18-month corrections order.
The professional boxer was also fined $7500 with conviction.
