Grace Tame teacher’s attacker Nicolaas Bester claims he has dementia and cannot stand trial over alleged social media harassment

A Hobart man who sexually abused former Australian of the Year Grace Tame when she was a schoolgirl has argued he suffers from dementia and is not fit to stand trial in a separate case over alleged use of social media to harass her online.

Nicolaas Ockert Bester, 72, was charged with three counts of using a transportation service to threaten, harass or provoke an offence between April and August 2022.

He had pleaded not guilty to all three charges and a hearing was due to begin today.

Mr Bester was sentenced to prison in 2011 for sexually abusing Ms Tame and possessing child exploitation material.

At the time of the crimes, he was a schoolteacher and Ms Tame was a 15-year-old student.

It is alleged that in 2022, Mr Bester posted on Twitter, now X, public messages about and directed at Ms Tame that “reasonable people would consider to be, in all the circumstances, threatening”.

This is a Commonwealth charge that falls under the cybercrime category and carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison.

Defence lawyer Todd Kovacic told the court Mr Bester suffered from vascular dementia and his fitness to face a contested hearing was an issue.

Mr Kovacic said “fitness will be recognised” based on Mr Bester’s medical assessments.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has requested further information about the defendant’s health.

The hearing has already been delayed several times.

Magistrate Andrew McKee adjourned the matter until August 28 when it will be decided what the next steps in the case will be.