A disgraced politician who allegedly offered a sex worker $1,000 to sleep with him in his parliamentary office before later being accused under parliamentary privilege of raping her has gone missing.
Tamworth police have urgently appealed for the public’s help in locating one-time National Party MP Michael Johnsen after he vanished without trace after leaving his home in the city’s west on Friday.
The 60-year-old represented the Upper Hunter in NSW’s state parliament from 2015 until March 2021 when he was forced to resign after being caught up in the explosive, career-ending sex scandal.
The divorced dad was accused of bombarding the sex worker with lewd texts – even while sitting in the chamber in parliament – and accused under parliamentary privilege of allegedly sexually assaulting her during a paid hook-up at a Blue Mountains lookout in September 2019.
Mr Johnsen vigorously denied the allegations and he was never charged.
A four-month police investigation into the claims ended in August 2021 with the Director of Public Prosecutions advising detectives there was ‘insufficient admissible evidence to proceed with charges’.
The former MP said the decision to drop the investigation was proof of his innocence.
‘I have been formally cleared of a sexual assault allegation by the NSW Police with no further action to occur against me,’ he said at the time.
‘I have been vindicated. I am innocent.’
Former Nationals MP Michael Johnsen (pictured) – who was forced to quit parliament in disgrace in 2021 after being caught up in an explosive lewd sex scandal – has gone missing with police fearing for his safety
Mr Johnsen was accused accused under parliamentary privilege of rape by a sex worker after his 30-year marriage to Zenda Casey broke down (pictured together)
Mr Johnsen did confess he had a history of engaging sex workers – citing the fact he was ‘a red-blooded male’ who got ‘turned on’ – with the admission effectively ending any chance of him returning to public office.
‘I saw a sex worker and, yes, it was not my first dalliance,’ he said at the time.
‘But I’ve never seen one while in a committed relationship.
‘It was titillating and exciting. I was finding myself again after 30 years of marriage [to ex-wife Zenda Casey]. I married at the age of 21 and had never played the field.
‘I’m a red-blooded male, sorry if I get turned on. But rape? It just didn’t happen.’
Since resigning, Mr Johnsen has maintained a relatively low profile in his hometown of Tamworth, nestled on the Great Dividing Range about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, before disappearing late last week.
Local authorities said they were desperately searching for him while fearing the worst.
‘Tamworth Police are seeking the assistance of the community to locate Mr Michael Johnsen,’ an Oxley Police District said in a statement.
A bombshell ABC report has alleged MrJohnsen sent a series of lewd messages to a sex worker from the floor of NSW state parliament
Text messages allegedly sent by Michael Johnsen to a sex worker – published by the ABC – showed him allegedly telling her that he was physically aroused while sitting in the parliament after receiving a topless image of the woman
Separate texts allegedly showed Mr Johnsen suggesting that the pair have sex in his parliamentary office, the national broadcaster reported at the time
‘Mr Johnsen was last seen on Friday the 21st of February leaving his West Tamworth address.
‘There are concerns for the safety and welfare of Mr Johnsen with the community encouraged to call Tamworth Police.’
The former Upper Hunter MP was removed from the National Party and Coalition party rooms in March 2021 after Labor’s Blue Mountains MP, Trish Doyle, revealed details of the alleged sex scandal under parliamentary privilege.
Ms Doyle didn’t name the MP involved but Mr Johnsen later outed himself as the man accused in order to issue a firm denial and announce he was taking leave and moving to the crossbench.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro called on the ousted parliamentary secretary to immediately resign from parliament over what he called allegedly ‘disgusting behaviour’.
In various leaked text messages, Mr Johnsen allegedly commented on how physically aroused he was about the sex worker while in parliament, him fantasising about her during Question Time and sending her an obscene video.
Separate messages allegedly showed him suggesting the pair have sex in his State Parliament office after he sat through a three-hour Budget estimates hearing.
‘My PH (Parliament House) office could be fun … come to the Jubilee Room and wait for me there,’ Mr Johnsen allegedly said in a September 9, 2019, exchange. The encounter reportedly never happened.
Trish Doyle rocked NSW Parliament by claiming an unnamed male government MP allegedly raped a sex worker at a secluded bush lookout after paying her $200 for oral sex – only for Mr Johnsen to self-identify so he could deny the allegations
A separate text message allegedly featured a video where a man was seen allegedly masturbating in a toilet
Mr Johnsen seen in State Parliament on his mobile phone
The ABC reported that the woman sent him a topless image of herself on September 24, 2019.
‘Hmmm … not fair. I’m sitting in the chamber with a h**d on now! Xxx’,’ he reportedly replied.
Two days later, on September 26, Mr Johnsen allegedly texted: ‘I’m in QT (Question Time) and f*** I’m horny and want you so bad – need you.
‘I want you and can’t wait to f*** you over and over again.’
Parliamentary video allegedly showed Mr Johnsen on his mobile phone at the time, the ABC investigation said.
That same afternoon, Mr Johnsen allegedly sent her a video of a man masturbating in a toilet while holding a picture of her.
When asked about the report on Radio 2GB at the time, then-NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said: ‘If that is correct I am absolutely disgusted.
‘For many women in public life when you know the challenges that exist – when colleagues or former colleagues do that type of thing- it is just beyond disgusting.’
Her deputy Mr Barilaro went one step further, saying he contacted Mr Johnsen – who has already been suspended from the National Party – and told him to resign from state Parliament.
‘Following reports this morning I contacted Mr Johnsen to express the view that his position as a Member of Parliament is untenable,’ he said.
‘This is disgusting behaviour and will never be acceptable, nor should it be, and I’m calling for Mr Johnsen to resign from Parliament immediately.’
Berejiklian was forced to resign just months later after the NSW anti-corruption watchdog revealed it was investigating whether she had broken the law by failing to report the corrupt conduct of her secret-lover, disgraced former Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption later found Berejiklian had engaged in ‘serious corrupt conduct’.
