Bondi terror accused Naveed Akram loses suppression bid
Miklos Bolza
An attempt to suppress the names of the family of alleged Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram has been rejected despite death threats and harassment from lawmakers.
The 24-year-old gunman lost his application for a court gag order over the names and home addresses of his mother, brother and sister in Sydney’s Downing Center Local Court on Thursday.
Judge Hugh Donnelly ruled the orders were not necessary because Naveed’s driver’s license, including his home address, had already been widely shared in Australia and internationally.
The move was a win for several media outlets, including this imprint, which defied the orders in court.
Judge Donnelly said the accused terrorist’s mother had spoken to the police. reporter in the immediate aftermath of the tragic mass shooting.
A 10-year-old girl was among the 15 people who allegedly opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration held at Bondi Beach on December 14 by Akram and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram.
“This case has unprecedented public interest, outrage, outrage and grief,” Donnelly said in a statement Thursday.
The judge noted that his mother and siblings were subjected to threats and harassment by unlawful persons.
These included death threats in person, over the phone and via online chat, strangers showing up at their home late at night, having pork dumped in their front yard and having a bottle filled with suspicious urine placed in their home.
“(Her mother) fears for her life and that of her children,” the judge said.
Judge Donnelly accepted the threats and said Naveed’s mother and siblings had nothing to do with the Bondi attack.
But he said any order would be futile given the names and addresses were publicly available.
“This case is exceptional because of its magnitude and the comments it made on social media,” he said.
Any restraining order will only apply in Australia and the court will not force overseas broadcasters to comply.
The judge ruled that Akram’s family’s businesses and schools did not need to be closed because there was no evidence of a threat there.
He noted that the accused terrorist also failed to produce psychiatric or psychological evidence that showed his family was at risk of mental harm.
For 40 years, he tried to keep his family’s information hidden throughout the country.
The 24-year-old remained silent as he watched Thursday’s verdict from Goulburn’s supermax prison.
His lawyer, Richard Wilson, The SC signaled that it would not appeal the judge’s decision.
Akram has not yet been asked to plead guilty to dozens of charges, including terrorism offenses and multiple murders.
His father was killed by police during an alleged terrorist attack, the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
A box-like bomb was allegedly found in their car, along with two hand-painted ISIS flags.
His case will return to court on April 8.
AAP
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