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'I can become anyone': University of Melbourne strips accused predator of scholarship and bans him from campus as alleged fake personas are laid bare in court

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Cite

Shapiro, P. (2026, September 22). 'I can become anyone': University of Melbourne strips accused predator of scholarship and bans him from campus as alleged fake personas are laid bare in court. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16147339/anthony-brooks-sex-offender-university-melbourne-scholarship-banned-campus-overdose-court.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-22 · by Paul Shapiro
Content note This article describes sexual violence.

Quick Summary

University of Melbourne has stripped Anthony Brooks, 33, of his scholarship and banned him from campus after he was charged with multiple rape and "sexual fraud" offenses. The charges include stalking a vulnerable victim using fake identities to coerce sexual encounters and menacing the complainant through electronic means. In court, Detective Senior Constable Luke Ilott expressed concern over allowing Brooks to travel to NSW for two months between December and January due to limited police monitoring capabilities there. Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz denied Brooks' bail variation request, citing increased risk of further offending and lack of a mental health treatment plan during the holiday period when providers may be on leave.
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Anthony Brooks, 33, a University of Melbourne student accused of multiple rape and 'sexual fraud' offenses, had his scholarship revoked and was banned from campus. He appeared before Melbourne Magistrates' Court where he requested to vary his bail conditions so he could relocate to Basin View in the Jervis Bay area for two months between December and January. The request was denied due to concerns raised by a detective from the Proactive Targeting Team, who feared that if Brooks moved, Victoria Police would lose oversight over him and his devices. Additionally, NSW Police lacks authority to enforce bail conditions imposed in Victoria. Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz rejected the application based on these security concerns.

Written for “University Predator Scandal” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 University Predator Scandal
Crime & Law · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 22% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 67/100
“The articles describe different individuals involved in separate incidents related to sexual offenses, occurring at distinct locations with different legal proceedings.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
46
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
22%
10 of 46 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 9101 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Paul Shapiro
22 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 It must be denounced in the strongest terms, but for the fact that this was excessive self-defence, you most certainly would have been at risk of going to jail today.
🔮 While these allegations remain unconfirmed, Corrections Victoria will certainly be hoping to avoid a similar scandal to the one that rocked the British prison system in 2024 when Linda de Sousa Abreu, a female guard at HMP Wandsworth, was filmed in her uniform engaging in intimate acts with serial burglar Linton Weirich.
🔮 Top criminal lawyer George Balot, of Balot Reilly Criminal Lawyers, separately told the Mail that it's 'too early to make a definitive prediction' on whether Silvagni's appeal will be determined in 2026.
🔮 He expected to meet his client on Tuesday morning in an effort to resolve the matter.
🔮 Ms Chung sought $800 in damages from Ms Giuliano after her then 16-year-old daughter attended Salon Claudia Giuliano in Melbourne's south-east on May 17 last year.
🔮 Carr made the legal move on Tuesday after a close friend of the former agent-to-the-stars told the Daily Mail he would certainly appeal the conviction. However, Carr has almost no chance of having his matter heard before the end of the year, meaning he will spend Christmas behind bars.
🔮 Howlett claims he 'advised' Mr Etherington he would be paid once he had made amends for his behaviour.
🔮 The teacher was granted an interim suppression order at a Melbourne court on Wednesday for reasons the Mail cannot disclose or it might risk revealing her identity.
🔮 Celebrity fitness trainer Sam Wood may plead self-defence if domestic violence charges related to an alleged attack on his wife go to trial, a court has heard.
🔮 Wood, a Melbourne gym owner who made a fortune in the fitness industry when he sold his company, 28 by Sam Wood, to genomics and DNA testing company myDNA in 2022 for $71.2 million, was staying at the property with Snezana and the three children they share, Willow, eight, Charlie, seven, and Harper, four.
Also by Paul Shapiro
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 22 articles by Paul Shapiro →

Topics

Melbourne Magistrates' Court NSW University of Melbourne Victoria Police the Daily Mail

Subjects

Brooks PERSON · 14× Mykytowycz PERSON · 5× University of Melbourne ORG · 3× Anthony Brooks PERSON · 2× Melbourne Magistrates' Court ORG · 2× Victoria Police ORG · 2× the Daily Mail ORG · 2× Luke Ilott PERSON · 1× NSW GPE · 1× the Proactive Targeting Team ORG · 1×

Narrative

'We have legally binding confidentiality and privacy obligations that prevent us from confirming any details relating to past or present University staff, students, prospective students or other individuals,' a University of Melbourne spokesperson said in a statement at the time.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
🔮 On Friday, Anthony Brooks, 33, fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court where his request to vary his bail conditions so he could spend Christmas and most of the summer on the NSW coast was denied.

Claims (46 extracted, 10 hedged)

A suspected sex predator has lost his University of Melbourne scholarship and been banned from setting foot on campus after he was charged with multiple rape and 'sexual fraud' offences. asserted
he → suspect → offences
On Friday, Anthony Brooks, 33, fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court where his request to vary his bail conditions so he could spend Christmas and most of the summer on the NSW coast was denied. uncertain
he → front → coast
Brooks had wished to move to Basin View in the Jervis Bay area for two months between December and January, citing a desire to reconnect with friends and family and seek mental health care. asserted
Brooks → wish → care
A detective from the Proactive Targeting Team, Leading Detective Senior Constable Luke Ilott, expressed concern that if Brooks' bail variation was allowed then the registered sex offender would be 'one further step removed from the scrutiny of Victoria Police'. asserted
offender → express → Police
Detective Ilott also feared that Victoria Police would be restricted in its ability to monitor Brooks' various devices, the court was told. asserted
court → fear → devices
The court also heard that NSW Police lacked the power to monitor or enforce bail conditions imposed in Victoria. asserted
Police → hear → Victoria
Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz denied Brooks' application on the grounds that allowing him to travel would 'enhance the risk of further offending'. asserted
him → deny → offending
'Permitting you to travel to New South Wales has the practical effect of diminishing conditions of bail for that period,' Magistrate Mykytowycz said. asserted
Mykytowycz → permit → period
Anthony Brooks, 33, fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court after he was charged with dozens of serious sex offences Brooks has lost his University of Melbourne scholarship ' asserted
Brooks → front → scholarship
Furthermore, this alleged offending has not occurred principally in public. asserted
offending → allege → public
Rather, it has occurred indoors, out of view of others, and has only required an electronic device to give effect to the alleged deceptions.' Magistrate Mykytowycz also highlighted that there was no mental health treatment plan before the court. ' asserted
Mykytowycz → occur → court
This was particularly important because the period sought to travel is over Christmas, New Year and into January, when many treating providers take annual leave. asserted
providers → seek → leave
Consequently, the application to vary bail... is refused. asserted
application → vary → bail
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail can reveal the full extent of the allegations Brooks faces. asserted
Brooks → reveal → allegations
Brooks, whom the Daily Mail previously revealed faced a charge of possessing and transmitting child abuse material, is accused of raping a 'vulnerable and isolated' man multiple times with his penis and a sex toy in April 2024. He also allegedly stalked the complainant with bogus identities to harass him into maintaining an 'unwanted sexual relationship' between February 2023 and June 2024. uncertain
He → reveal → February
Police allege Brooks used a carriage service to menace the complainant and cause him 'physical and mental harm', making him 'fear for his safety'. asserted
him → allege → safety
Brooks was also charged with multiple 'sexual act by fraud' offences whereby he allegedly made false representations to force the complainant to take part in sex acts. uncertain
he → charge → acts
Brooks (pictured outside court) is accused of raping a 'vulnerable and isolated' man multiple times with his penis and a sex toy in April 2024 Brooks, who is facing 46 serious charges in total, also allegedly produced an intimate image of the complainant, failed to comply with sex offender reporting obligations, and breached bail three times. He was charged with the rape and sexual fraud offences on July 1 this year, just two days after the Mail first revealed the child abuse material allegations as well as his status as a University of Melbourne student. Magistrate Mykytowycz noted that Brooks' alleged offending was 'very serious'. uncertain
offending → picture → student
'It's alleged you had engaged in a protracted and intentional course of conduct against the complainant in order to maintain a sexual relationship,' Magistrate Mykytowycz said. asserted
Mykytowycz → allege → relationship
Magistrate Mykytowycz said Brooks was a registered offender for the first five months of his alleged period of offending from February 2023 to June 2024. asserted
Brooks → say → June
The court heard that Brooks' sex offender registration was suspended after an 'application was made on his behalf' but had been 'subsequently reinstated'. asserted
application → hear → behalf
Brooks was made a registered sex offender when he came to Victoria from New South Wales Pictured: A mock-up of messages Brooks allegedly sent to the complainant, as quoted by Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz in court ' uncertain
Brooks → make → court
The offending has allegedly involved the use of... nine different mobile numbers and four different handsets to create eight fictitious personas and their social media accounts to maintain contact and control over the increasingly vulnerable and isolated complainant,' Magistrate Mykytowycz said. uncertain
Mykytowycz → involve → complainant
One fictitious person was that of a detective who was used in the offending behind the charges of the rape and compelling rape charges. asserted
who → use → charges
On the allegations, it was elaborate, sophisticated and persistent and, more specifically, involved the use of electronic devices to give effect to the offending. asserted
it → involve → offending
This included allegedly sending the complainant a message to the effect of, and I quote, "By now you have probably realised I can become anyone and be on anything, I've been Andrew, Anthony and Bradley." uncertain
I → include → anything
You've also messaged the complainant stating: "If he doesn't rebuild the damage there will be eyes. asserted
he → message → damage
You'll never know which profiles are mine and which ones are real." asserted
ones → know → ?
Magistrate Mykytowycz, an experienced adjudicator on the Magistrates' Court sex crimes committal mention list, said Brooks allegedly caused the complainant 'significant mental harm' after the man intentionally overdosed in February 2024. uncertain
man → say → February
'The suicide attempt followed an extensive period of communication with your alleged persona Bradley,' Magistrate Mykytowycz said. asserted
Mykytowycz → follow → persona
Brooks allegedly went to the complainant's apartment, called triple-0, then went through the man's phone before warning him to say it was an 'accidental overdose' or he risked 'losing his job'. uncertain
he → go → job
'The magnitude of harm to any complainant should you re-offend in a similar way is not dissimilar,' Magistrate Mykytowycz said. asserted
Mykytowycz → re → way
Brooks is pictured leaving court after he was charged with multiple rape offences Magistrate Mykytowycz also noted that some of the allegations against Brooks mirrored similar offending he committed in NSW prior to coming to Melbourne to study. Brooks also allegedly breached bail conditions for his latest Victorian matter after police found him with a device containing apps including Instagram and Grindr. The court heard Brooks allegedly met the current complainant on Grindr and there also may be a 'further new matter involving online sexual acts relating to two complainants using a false persona'. Brooks was interviewed by police last month over this new matter and 'may be summonsed to court'. Brooks, who was awarded a University of Melbourne scholarship, has since lost it after the Daily Mail exposed the allegations against him. He has also been booted from his student accommodation and has been barred from University of Melbourne campuses following our reporting. However, he is still able to continue his history honours degree online. During his academic career, Brooks gained entry to and completed an arts degree at the prestigious institution and made the Dean's Honours List in 2023, 2024 and 2025. uncertain
Brooks → picture → 2023
Brooks received the university's 2026 Neville Bonner Memorial Scholarship and, as of March this year, was identified as a 'current history honours student'. asserted
Brooks → receive → student
On April 29 this year, Brooks was charged with transmitting child abuse material. asserted
Brooks → charge → material
In June, the Mail submitted a series of questions to the university, including whether it was aware Brooks was a registered offender. asserted
Brooks → submit → university
The university declined to answer. asserted
university → decline → ?
On April 29 this year, Brooks was charged with transmitting child abuse material We also asked what protocols the university had to monitor sex offenders and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and students. asserted
university → charge → staff
Again, the university did not respond. asserted
university → respond → ?
Another question left unanswered was whether Brooks would have been permitted to enrol in the bachelor's program had the university known he was a sex offender. asserted
he → leave → program
…and 6 more, not listed.
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