A 26-year-old Annandale man who made a "spontaneous decision" to spit on a Springwood anti-abortion campaigner has been given a good behaviour bond in a Sydney court.
Bicycle food courier Kirby Weller pleaded guilty to assault before Magistrate Kate Thompson in Sydney Downing Centre court on October 16.
The Daily Telegraph reported Weller, mounted the gutter in Macquarie Street at the height of the NSW government abortion debate, and spat on NSW Christian Democratic Party candidate for the Blue Mountains Cameron Phillips while Mr Phillips was campaigning outside NSW Parliament House on August 15.
Magistrate Thompson accepted a guilty plea for the assault charge, but did not convict the 26-year-old. A charge of behaving in an offensive manner was dismissed with no evidence offered. He is on a two year conditional release order which ends on October 15, 2021.
The spitting incident was captured on dashcam footage by a passing car on Macquarie Street.
"I felt a lot of stuff on my face," Mr Phillips told the Gazette at the time. "It was a bit of a stunning experience and unexpected."
Police facts state that Mr Phillips was carrying a sign that said "Abortion kills babies". Mr Phillips said he had faced "similar situations in Springwood during the yes/no [marriage equality] campaign" when campaigning in the town square.
The magistrate said the cyclist, who had been an activist for fair pay for other food delivery drivers in the gig economy, would need to "moderate his behaviour" if he wanted to continue his involvement in political debate.
The NSW Parliament passed the Bill to decriminalise abortion last month after 70 hours of debate in the Lower House. Abortions have already been decriminalised in Western Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, and are legal for some medical reasons in South Australia.