Video of two Sydney nurses allegedly making antisemitic comments to Israeli influencer struck from court case | Sydney
A video showing two Sydney nurses allegedly making anti-Semitic comments to an Israeli influencer has been removed from court as the pair prepare to go on trial.
Ahmad Nadir, 28, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, pleaded not guilty to being threatening and aggressive, allegedly saying they would refuse to treat Israeli patients and threatening violence against them.
The duo is expected to go to trial at the end of August, but the rejection of important footage dealt a blow to the prosecution.
Judge Michael McHugh ruled Tuesday that the videos and other recordings of the conversation could not be admitted into evidence at the upcoming trial.
He told the Sydney Downing Center district court: “I have come to the firm view that the video evidence should be excluded from each of the applicants’ hearings.”
The couple’s lawyers have previously argued the nurses were audio-recorded without their consent while they were at Bankstown hospital in Sydney’s south-west, amounting to an unlawful invasion of their privacy.
One of the reasons Judge McHugh gave for rejecting the video evidence was that the material had already been widely published online and in the media.
“Applicants’ alleged statements during chat room interactions are deeply disturbing, at least to common-sense people,” he said.
Israeli national Max Ilinsky, popularly known as Max Veifer, recorded the video of his conversation with nurses in 2025 on the ChatRoulette platform.
The platform, known as Chatruletka in Israel, randomly matches people from around the world to facilitate conversations.
“This man [Mr Veifer] Nadir’s lawyer, Greg James KC, previously said: “He is conducting his own private… illegal activities.”
“He doesn’t care what legal regime applies to obtain the records.”
Crown prosecutor Justin Hannebery KC previously argued that online chatting did not have the same expectations of privacy due to the casual nature of the connection between the nurses and Veifer.
“Not all private conversations are created equal,” Hannebery said.
“It’s not exactly like that. [a chat] With a close personal friend, this expectation would certainly be considered high.
The prosecutor said the critical nature of the evidence in the prosecution’s case outweighed any questions about how it was obtained.
