Pictures and address of man alleged to have begun deadly blaze in Churchill area put on social networking site despite court ban
Ellen Connolly in Sydney
Ellen Connolly in Sydney
Facebook users angered by a court order suppressing details of the man accused of starting one of the deadly bushfires that devastated Australia have posted his photograph and address on the social networking site.
At least three Facebook groups have been created to name the alleged arsonist, who it has emerged was a volunteer firefighter.
At a Victoria court hearing today, magistrate John Klestadt lifted the suppression order on Brendan Sokaluk's name but ordered that his photograph and address should not be released.
Sokaluk, who has been in protective custody since his arrest on Friday, was in the court precinct but did not appear because of security concerns.
The 39-year-old has been charged with "arson causing death" over the bushfire in the Churchill area, in which 21 people were killed.
Facebook users called for him to "burn in hell". One wrote: "Tie the bastard to a post and put a ring of fire around him ... let the fire make its way to him and make him suffer like the other 100's of people had to endure."
Another posted: "He should be thrown into his creation and left to burn".
Authorities contacted social networking sites seeking the removal of the details and urging people to allow the police to do their job.
Sokaluk's lawyer, Helen Spowart, urged the court to continue the suppression of his name amid serious concerns for his safety and that of his family.
"This is an extraordinary case," she said. "The level of emotion and anger and disgust that the alleged offences have aroused in the community is unprecedented ... he remains in risk while in custody."
It was also revealed Sokaluk joined the Churchill brigade of the country fire authority in the late 80s before the service introduced stringent screening and police checks of volunteers.
He left the brigade in the 90s, trying to rejoin twice but being rejected, the Melbourne Age reported.
On his MySpace page, Sokaluk describes himself as a "young happy male" who wants to meet a woman and get married.
"My interest are to enjoy life to the fallest [sic]," he writes. He lists "mother earth" as his hero because "without her we all would be dead".
Kieran Walshe, the Victoria deputy police commissioner announced that the death toll from the fires had risen to 189.
Earlier today, the funeral of 22-year-old victim Greg Lloyd was held.
He had been looking after a house in Yarra Glen with his girlfriend, 23-year-old Melanee Hermocilla, and her brother Jaeson, 21, when fire swept through the area.
At least three Facebook groups have been created to name the alleged arsonist, who it has emerged was a volunteer firefighter.
At a Victoria court hearing today, magistrate John Klestadt lifted the suppression order on Brendan Sokaluk's name but ordered that his photograph and address should not be released.
Sokaluk, who has been in protective custody since his arrest on Friday, was in the court precinct but did not appear because of security concerns.
The 39-year-old has been charged with "arson causing death" over the bushfire in the Churchill area, in which 21 people were killed.
Facebook users called for him to "burn in hell". One wrote: "Tie the bastard to a post and put a ring of fire around him ... let the fire make its way to him and make him suffer like the other 100's of people had to endure."
Another posted: "He should be thrown into his creation and left to burn".
Authorities contacted social networking sites seeking the removal of the details and urging people to allow the police to do their job.
Sokaluk's lawyer, Helen Spowart, urged the court to continue the suppression of his name amid serious concerns for his safety and that of his family.
"This is an extraordinary case," she said. "The level of emotion and anger and disgust that the alleged offences have aroused in the community is unprecedented ... he remains in risk while in custody."
It was also revealed Sokaluk joined the Churchill brigade of the country fire authority in the late 80s before the service introduced stringent screening and police checks of volunteers.
He left the brigade in the 90s, trying to rejoin twice but being rejected, the Melbourne Age reported.
On his MySpace page, Sokaluk describes himself as a "young happy male" who wants to meet a woman and get married.
"My interest are to enjoy life to the fallest [sic]," he writes. He lists "mother earth" as his hero because "without her we all would be dead".
Kieran Walshe, the Victoria deputy police commissioner announced that the death toll from the fires had risen to 189.
Earlier today, the funeral of 22-year-old victim Greg Lloyd was held.
He had been looking after a house in Yarra Glen with his girlfriend, 23-year-old Melanee Hermocilla, and her brother Jaeson, 21, when fire swept through the area.