Legal
STALKER: Premier Rann’s assailant is holding the strings in this latest slime attack
Rampaging Rick Phillips is charged with aggravated assault after he allegedly attacked the Premier of South Australia with a rolled-up magazine, narrowly missing his eye.
Phillips has believed for some time that his estranged wife Michelle Chantelois had sexual relations with the Premier. After years of denying any such thing, she now repeats the erratic and dangerous man’s tale of woe.
And he’s very, very angry about the whole thing.
Dangerously so.
A VIOLENT NUTTER
Read this eye-witness account reported in the Sunday Mail in Adelaide on 4th of October:
“Mr Harrop told the Sunday Mail that Phillips screamed at Mr Rann just before the attack. ‘He was using a rolled-up magazine but I think there was a bit of fist in there as well. He struck the Premier five or six times. He was screaming in a crazy manner. He came up to Mr Rann from the back – he had no chance to defend himself at all.”
The witness describes a vicious and carefully pre-meditated attack, with a weapon, of sorts. So psychotically mad was Phillips that he ignored the fact there were 180 witnesses to the attack.
And most worringly it relates to events Phillips imagines occurred several years ago, perhaps five years ago. Even if it was true, you’d have thought even the most psychiatrically disturbed would have got over it by now.
THE STALKER
Yet he continues his obsession. Even if his fantasies were true, and we’re far more inclined to believe the SA Premier’s emphatic denial than the paid ‘tell-all’ by Michelle Chantelois that left many questions unanswered.
He attempted to out his claims about being cuckolded in 2006, just prior to the last SA state election. An election is due in early 2010 and Rann’s stalker has bobbed up again.
Some Labor conspiracy theorists reckon he’s a Liberal hoping to get personal revenge and political satisfaction. But SA Liberals who’ve spoken with VEXNEWS doubt this will hurt Rann’s re-election prospects, pointing to the vast majority of talkback callers who thought it none of their business, regardless of the facts at issue.
VEXNEWS understands that Phillips has repeatedly tried to contact the Premier over three years, with letters, emails, phone calls and faxes.
It is also clear that Michelle Chantelois has decided to throw her lot in with her husband – who booted her from the family home and left her to work as a school receptionist until she apparently recently resigned the position – in his jihad against Rann. Good for her for standing by her marriage and trying to make it work but it really does look like she’s setting herself up for more years of misery.
If he couldn’t keep his wife on the straight and narrow then that’s really his business and his problem.
A SAD TALE OF A DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY WHO WANT TO SHARE THE JOY WITH EVERYONE ELSE
Sadly, Chantelois has become the stalker’s enabler. By manipulating his wife Phillips can hurt his target in a way that his frenzied, terrifying and violent attacks couldn’t. He looked so very creepy yesterday, so delighted with himself. And yet, even though freshly showered, he remains a dirty dog in the eyes of many.
Phillips has previously enjoyed some success as a businessman but he is believed to now face many closed doors in Adelaide and across the building supplies caper where he once made a good living. Who would want to do business with such a man? Do what he says or you get attacked in the face with a rolled-up magazine.
If he couldn’t keep his wife on the straight and narrow then that’s really his business and his problem. The violent man’s insistence on making this everyone else’s issue is why we feel so free to make him a public issue. He is the wrongdoer here. Not his wife, who had the good sense to be repulsed by him. Not Mike Rann, whose biggest mistake was being friendly with the help. Not the media who are well within their rights to report a huge story. The villain in this drama is this vengeful, violent, odious, stalker who just won’t move on.
We suspect this unhinged man could be capable of anything if allowed to roam unchecked and we hear on good authority that the Premier’s security detail has been increased and they are ready for a repeat of the violence Phillips unleashed earlier this year.
Phillips will soon enough have his day on court where a magistrate will decide his guilt or innocence on the aggravated assault charges he faces. Then the magistrate will decide whether this dangerous and violent man should go to jail for his cold, premeditated attack on the Premier of South Australia who has been the target of his obsessive hatred for years.
No one knows which way it will go but it is clear to all observers that Rick Phillips is a violent, domineering thug used to getting his own way. He will attempt to make the court case about anything other than his criminal conduct. The magistrate will shut him down. Philips will probably over-react and all hell will break loose. It promises to be exciting theatre.
All the tall stories, all the makeovers (complete with diamond studs) and all the confected moral outrage won’t change the true nature of the villain in this drama. For the safety of the community, he needs to be taken away from anyone else he might feel provoked into bashing.
We hope he sees the error of his ways in quiet contemplative moments in a jail cell. Because that is clearly what he deserves. What a charmless man.
Discussion
27 comments for “STALKER: Premier Rann’s assailant is holding the strings in this latest slime attack”
Post a comment
I wouldn’t want him after me.
It’s now just he-said she-said.
But it could derail Labor’s campaign if not managed well.
She was paid $70,000 or $200,000 depending who you believe.
If she’d just left the money alone she might have been convincing. Because of the money she just looks cheap.
If you’re prepared to slap a man you no doubt have given a backhander to a woman.
Interesting that he is outraged and on a mission to destroy Rann but does not bear such ill will towards his former wife, who after all is the one that he was married to and has allegedly done the dirty on him and told all the gory humiliating details in the media. They sound like a real cute couple and the more you hear of the story the more you are inclined to believe Rann.
I don’t believe her and anyway WHO CARES, why should this be public knowledge. Who is she to say he must apologise, she is the one that had the affair and affected her OWN marriage, he was a single guy!
It’s Phillips who should apologize for law-breaking.
Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!!!
Richard Phillips protests just a bit too much for mine about not being a violent thug.
He will be judged soon.
If he couldn’t keep his wife on the straight and narrow then that’s really his business and his problem. The violent man’s insistence on making this everyone else’s issue is why we feel so free to make him a public issue. He is the wrongdoer here. Not his wife, who had the good sense to be repulsed by him. Not Mike Rann, whose biggest mistake was being friendly with the help. Not the media who are well within their rights to report a huge story. The villain in this drama is this vengeful, violent, odious, stalker who just won’t move on.
After reading the comments here, I get the impression that it’s quite OK with many readers for the Premier of this State to engage in sexual intercourse on his office desk at Parliment House with a member of staff. OMG!
Where are the moral standards that use to exist in this Country? If this is setting the standard for Government and the private sector, I can see that productivity in the workplace is fast heading south. And where does this fit with the Premier’s own laws on sexual harrassment in the workplace even if he didn’t have sex with her.
Personally I think he did and the sooner he admits to it the better off we’ll all be for it.
Wasn’t voting for Rann anyway. But Phillips is a nasty piece of sh*t.
As for Ms Chantelois If it is true why didn’t she come out and talk about this before.
Why wait for four years. She says its not about the money give me a break. She wasn’t forced to have this alleged affair I am sure nobody put a gun to her head. She could have said no.
And I thought the wet patch on Rann’s desk was because he didn’t use a coaster for his coffee mug.
Glance at Wikipedia and we are told that natives of the fictional DC comics planet RANN suffer from a deteriorating gene pool resulting in a sterile culture – sounds like South Australia for sure. A conjecture evidenced by the antics of the current celeb flotsam.
Richard Phillips and his partner in slime Michelle Chantelois are now in for a world of hurt.
They are desperate to try to tear down a popular Premier of South Australia.
They are willing to resort to lies and crimes of violence to do so.
They should probably make plans to leave the state once Rann is re-elected. This carry-on is not acceptable.
RE Immoralists frankly I would rather not know about what politicians get up to in the bedroom as frankly as the old saying goes politics is Hollywood for ugly people. That being said why I am I supposed to be so morally outraged by an adult maybe having sex with another adult? There are no allegations of a crime being committed, the Premier not doing his job or the public being put at risk so really it is not any of our business. It has only been dragged into the press by tabloid media and an attention seeking couple.
***if he couldn’t keep his wife on the straight and narrow then that’s really his business and his problem***
What utter bullshit. You’re showing more concern for Rann, than for Rann’s wife? Really surprised at you Andy, sometimes you take contrarianism way too far.
What would you do if the women you loved [ even if she was a fruit cake] was being fxxxxd or similiar by the most powerful man in your state.I have no doubt this women loves attention and powerful men. But what effect on the children of both families. this women may have stirred up the cuckold husband with truths, half truth or where is the real truth fantasies.
Years ago the husband could have taken the Premier to court for such alienation of affection.
This is probably what happened:
Pre ‘05: Already disturbed owner of building supply company gets hit with a 4′ by 2′ at work. Starts acting more oddly than usual.
Late ‘05: Sees an innocent text on wife’s phone from Premier. Makes judgement that only reason Premier of SA is contacting his wife is because they are screwing each other. No actual evidence of this.
Late ‘07: After 2 years of daily accusations and harrangues, wife (to humour psycho hubbie) admits to affair. Hopes he will shut up about it. He doesn’t. She leaves house.
Late ‘09: Psycho hubbie attacks Premier with (of all things) a rolled up newspaper. Woman gets idea, a New Idea. Sells stupid story to media, who are now asking questions as to why anyone would attack Premier.
This Chantelois may be a lot of things, but one of them is lucky. Psycho hubbie is now facing jail, she’s $200K richer. Sure, her reputation is trashed here, but she can just fly back to the States where money really matters most, and quite a few people would view her as a hero in this story given the moral craziness of the place.
To me, it all looks very convenient to Chantelois and Phillips. Why do his actions against the Premier also follow the election cycle? Why does she profess to be so shamed about it all, but then chooses to front the media? ANSWER: $$$$$
Re: Immoralists – remember these are only allegations against the Premier, who has strenously denied them. I get the feeling HE doesn’t think it is OK for sex to occur on his office desk. Personally, I don’t care if it does or doesn’t, and people like you who do are either i) jealous you’re not getting any, or ii) depraved and always seem to want to know EXACTLY what happened. And are shocked by it all of course. And aroused by it.
And re: sexual harrassment – not even the Chantelois woman is alleging it is harrassment. The only harrassment that has occurred so far is wacko Phillips assaulting the Premier.
Why is it just not on for people to (at absolute worst if the allegations are proven) engage in consensual sex, enjoying each others company; but not worth getting into moral outrage state over an assualt that could have led to partial blindness?
How morally blinkered are you?
Citizen – the point is this is not “years ago”. The old valuation of women as being dependant on/property of their husbands and therefore incapable of fully managing or being responsible for their own affairs or decisions is not relevant to today’s society, and rightly so.
This attitude of Phillips that his wife, who back in 2005 I understand was the age of 33yrs, was in some ‘naive’ is laughable, pathetic and, (as a female in my early 30s I consider to be) outright insulting. This persistence of belief that Rann is to blame (depending on whether sex actually happened or not) and his wife was ‘naive’ is a failure on Phillips’ behalf to see things in a rational and balanced perspective. His wife was to blame (if the relationship between Phillips and his wife at that point was still a marriage) as is Phillips himself for letting his marriage become strained to such a point.
VEX is right, the fact that Phillips clings to it 4yrs down the track to the point where he physically assaulted Rann, when Rann has made the effort to have no contact with Phillips’ wife for the last 4yrs is the sign of an unbalanced mind. One who has their perspective completely out of whack.
I’m speculating here – but it sounds like Phillips has taken all the stress from the mentioned business troubles he was having a few years back, added in the stress for his wife looking elsewhere at that same time and attached all blame and responsibility to Rann’s shoulders.
The man is an unbalanced, irresponsible nut job.
Added into this is those ‘notes’ that I’ve read about and which were alluded to during 7’s show. Frankly when I read the text it appeared to me as if Phillips was attempting to blackmail Rann, but was not so blantant as to actually demand money in writing. The innuendo in the notes was menacing. Kind of a feeling of ‘do right by me, or else …’.
When the years of letter writing didn’t work to get whatever outcome he was hoping for (I’m open to the possibility it was something other than monetary – but rationally, what else could he have hoped to achieve?) he then reverts to physical abuse.
Whatever the outcome to Rann from this, Phillips is an unbalanced individual who is incapable of seeing that for himself.
Keep up the good work Andy.
Poor Kurt Fearnley, after crawling for 12 days along the Kokoda Track, all he wanted to do was get on the plane and put his feet up.
What a nutter!
Why is it that people say they “slept like a baby” when babies wake up 10 times every hour?
Extra points for the Blur clip!
Lynch her, LYNCH HER !!!
dear corporal punishment is this a threat if so i would love to see it in writing posted to the address of either ones of the homes with your name and number on it see if the man you are is true
temp me mate
Fine “journalism” indeed – is this crap handed in by one of the government’s (many) overpaid media hacks??? laughable crap….