Restraining order against Jonathan Barnard’s father dismissed

The father of Australia’s only female archery competitor at the London Olympics has had a restraining order against him dismissed after a judge ruled he did not attempt to intimidate his daughter’s main rival during qualifying events.

Jonathan Barnard, father of Elisa Barnard, was accused of trying to put 18-year-old Odette Snazelle off her performance during several events in January and February. Snazelle took out an interim apprehended violence order against Barnard, preventing him from coming within 200 metres of her. In Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court yesterday, Magistrate Lee Gilmour dismissed the application, saying she could not rule that Barnard’s “intentions were to harass and/or intimidate” Snazelle. The judge added that she felt the dispute was “tit for tat” between two warring families.

Elisa Barnard, 19, was named by the Australian Olympic Committee on 27 June 27 on the two-person team for London.

Snazelle had claimed Barnard followed her around, positioned himself behind her as Snazelle shot and attended one competition where his daughter was not competing. Barnard said his motivation for attending that event was to scrutinise the “operation of qualifying events for the Olympic Games”.

“I didn’t believe there’d be any issue with me attending the event,” Barnard told the court. “If I genuinely felt Odette was being intimidated in any way I wouldn’t be there.”