Luke Moore has been arrested for making threats against police and the NSW Police Commissioner. Photo: Supplied.
UPDATE OCTOBER 2022: The Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions has dropped all charges against former Goulburn man Luke Moore. He had been charged with using a carriage service to threaten to kill and two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend after he was arrested by the Fixated Persons Unit in Nowra on 25 February 2021.
In a statement, the CDPP said: “A decision to discontinue the prosecution in this matter was made in accordance with the application of the Prosecution Policy of the Commonwealth in June 2021”.
Mr Moore has informed Region that the State of NSW provided him with a letter of apology on 25 November 2021 and a settlement deed for compensation was being negotiated between Mr Moore and the State of NSW.
Mr Moore said he had since declined the settlement offer and has commenced formal proceedings against the State of NSW.
MARCH 2021: Goulburn man Luke Moore, who was recently in the media for signing a podcast and movie deal about his 2015 prison experience, is back behind bars.
The 33-year-old, who now lives in Nowra, was arrested by the Fixated Persons Unit on Thursday, 25 February, for allegedly making threats against a Goulburn police officer and NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller.
Mr Moore allegedly detailed the threats – including his intent to kill – during a phone call with an officer at Newtown Police Station, in Sydney, at around 8 pm on Wednesday, 24 February.
Police subsequently arrested Mr Moore outside his Nowra home on Thursday afternoon and took him to Nowra Police Station.
Mr Moore has been charged with using a carriage service to threaten to kill, and two charges of using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend.
He was refused bail by Nowra Local Court on Friday, 26 February, while appearing via an audio-visual link from Nowra Police Station. The outcome allegedly prompted Mr Moore to take a clock from a wall in the station and smash it repeatedly.
As a result, Mr Moore has also been charged with destroying or damaging property.
He remains in police custody and will next appear at Nowra Local Court on Monday, 8 March.
Police say Mr Moore is suffering from a mental illness, which means he isn’t aware of the serious nature of the threats he’s making.
The Fixated Persons Unit was created in 2017 to stop people who are showing warning signs of dangerous extremism often because of a mental illness.
Luke Moore had been studying law and trying to make a better life for himself since leaving jail in 2015. Photo: Supplied.
Region Media had only recently interviewed Mr Moore about his deal with Melbourne production company Princess Pictures to create a podcast and film about his story.
The podcast is due to be released on Audible this winter, while the film is currently in production. Both tell the story of how he ended up in jail in 2015 for embezzling $2.1 million.
It all began when Mr Moore was aged 21. On the verge of going broke, he discovered a bank error that allowed him to overdraw his Complete Freedom account with St George Bank to the tune of $2.1 million.
He paid off a mortgage; moved to the Gold Coast; bought a boat, an Aston Martin, an Alfa Romeo and a Maserati; purchased pictures signed by Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Guns ’N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Usher, and Top Gear presenters; and bought original artworks by Picasso and Andy Warhol.
However, Mr Moore’s high-life came crashing down on 12 December, 2012, when police executed a search warrant at his home.
Officers seized everything he had acquired, and Mr Moore was charged with obtaining a financial advantage by deception, and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Despite pleading not guilty, Mr Moore was sentenced to four years and six months in jail in February 2015.
However, while he was behind bars, he was determined to prove his innocence so he began studying law.
After six months, he lodged a successful appeal for bail, hired a Sydney barrister to represent him, and had the convictions overturned in the NSW Supreme Court.
The court believed that while Mr Moore never had any intention of repaying the money, his contract with the bank had – by error – allowed him to make the withdrawals.
Since leaving prison, Mr Moore has continued to pursue his legal ambitious with the hope of opening a criminal law firm to represent others like him.
He says he is studying law at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst and was due to graduate in October 2021.
Mr Moore had told Region Media that he felt targeted by Goulburn police since leaving prison, which was why he decided to move to Nowra.
As a result, he established a website, isuepolice.com, outlining his alleged experience and calling for action.
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