Sydney councillor charged over alleged ‘threat to kill’

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A Sydney councillor who runs his own legal firm has been charged after allegedly threatening to kill a fellow councillor during a heated phone call.

Ku-ring-gai councillor and former mayor Cedric Spencer will face court this week after he was charged by NSW Police with one count of using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend.

Kur-ring-gai councillor and former mayor Cedric Spencer.

The charge stems from alleged threats he made towards fellow Ku-ring-gai councillor Matthew Devlin.

Spencer, a seasoned councillor serving his third term on the council, is accused of allegedly launching a “verbal tirade” against Devlin during a November 2024 telephone call in which he allegedly told Devlin “I will f---ing kill you” over speculation that Devlin had made a council code of conduct complaint against him.

The code of conduct complaint is understood to have stemmed from the publication of confidential council legal information allegedly posted by Spencer on his Facebook page that related to the council’s court challenge against the NSW government’s high-density housing reforms.

NSW Police have also been told of a second alleged phone call, lasting more than 40 minutes in February this year, in which Spencer discussed gifts he received from Devlin during a comical “secret Santa” game held between councillors at a council Mayor’s Christmas Dinner in December last year.

Devlin, who had drawn Spencer’s name during the festive gift game, selected a tub of M&Ms for his fellow councillor along with a “few lumps of coal”.

Spencer, during the alleged call, allegedly told Devlin that if younger people had not been in attendance at the party, “a fist fight would have broken out”.

Police charged Spencer after lengthy investigations into the matter were carried out by the council’s code of conduct officers, who referred the matter to the Office of Local Government, which in turn is understood to have referred the matter to NSW Police.

Both of the alleged calls were recorded, with transcripts and audio files provided to NSW Police.

Spencer has not entered any pleas in relation to the charge, which will be heard for the first time in Hornsby Local Court this week.

Spencer, who runs a law firm specialising in cases including business, family and corporate law, declined to comment on the charges.

In a statement, a spokesman for the NSW Liberal party said: “We are aware of the allegations, but as the matter is before the court we are not able to comment.”