Ku-ring-gai councillor and solicitor Cedric Spencer appeared in Hornsby Local Court Wednesday 15 October on criminal charges for allegedly threatening a fellow councillor on a phone call.
Charges were laid by NSW Police after findings from an independent investigation by the NSW Office of Local Government.
On the phone call, Cr Spencer allegedly vowed to harm councillor Matt Devlin following a code of conduct complaint against Cr Spencer.
An anonymous senior insider within local government references a pattern of disruptive behaviour by Cr Spencer. This includes a May 2025 censure motion on his breaching code of conduct by disclosing confidential legal and financial information between Council and the NSW Government, and Cr Spencer filing a police report against fellow councillor Kim Wheatley, claiming she threatened him at a Council dinner. During Cr Spencer’s time as mayor in 2021, he was advised by then general manager John McKee to refrain from speaking with council staff after inappropriate communication involving threats of dismissal.
Cr Spencer pled not guilty on the criminal charges. Cr Spencer and counsel Riley Jones made no comment as to how Cr Spencer would defend against an audio recording. The case will resume in court mid-November.
