Bail for young men accused of two machete brawls in fortnight
The court was told Mazrawi and Mohamed were allegedly involved in a machete fight that shut down Broadmeadows shopping center one day in October.
Mazrawi was granted bail by Judge Felicity Broughton earlier on Wednesday as she felt strict bail conditions could mitigate the risk to the community.
His lawyer, Alexander Patton, argued that he was not accused of using a machete, so Mazrawi’s involvement in the alleged crime was “very minimal.”
Bail conditions include a nightly curfew, not owning or carrying a bladed weapon and keeping a diary of work and court appointments.
The Khan brothers applied for bail on Wednesday as Peterson said the public was “severely traumatized” by the Luna Park incident.
He told the court: “Given the current climate around knife crime, particularly machetes, it is absolutely disgusting that the three defendants believed it was acceptable to produce a machete.”
“A popular theme park for young children to visit with their families.
“The public stated that they were seriously traumatized and would avoid coming to Melbourne.”
Det Sen Const Peterson claimed Mohamed was part of a group involved in a fight at Broadmeadows shopping center on October 11, when two men were seen “swinging machetes at each other”.
“While most of the shop owners closed their shuttered doors, innocent people ran out of the mall in fear,” he said.
He said the charges have not yet been formally laid, but Mohamed is expected to be charged upon summons.
Khans’ lawyer, Theo Alexander, showed the court a photo of Abdurahman’s injured face and said that the Luna Park attack was in retaliation for allegedly being attacked and that his client had acted in self-defense.
Mr Alexander said Abdurahman was pulled from the car by a member of the other group before grabbing the machete.
The suspect is accused of intentional injury, assault with a weapon and carrying a prohibited weapon, among other crimes.
Judge Pauline Spencer said Abdurahman’s offense was “very serious” as there was a “very real possibility” he would seriously injure someone by bringing a machete to a fight.
“This is a place where people should have a good time, not a place where people should be wielding guns and machetes,” he said.
“What this does is makes everyone in the community feel unsafe and afraid to go out.”
He granted the Khan brothers bail, citing their lack of a “significant” criminal history, but imposed strict conditions and monitoring.
All three men will return to court on December 10.
AAP
