Commotion in court as accused imam attacker denied bail

A man accused of attacking an Islamic religious leader in a road rage incident tried to jump from a pier after being denied bail.

Brendan Nicholls, 23, appeared in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday on charges of criminal damage and assault.

Nicholls and a 22-year-old Cranbourne East man are alleged to have harassed Imam Ismet Purdic and his wife in Melbourne’s south-east on Saturday.

Police said the pair were traveling along the South Gippsland Highway in South Dandenong about 7.40pm when the occupants of a small black hatchback allegedly targeted them.

The couple’s vehicle became stuck and the defendant allegedly drove dangerously to scare them before getting out and kicking the imam’s car.

According to the court, it was claimed that İmam Purdic was punched in the face while his wife was called a “Muslim b****” during the incident.

Allegedly, the surrounding people intervened before the suspect got into his vehicle and ran away.

Nicholls and the other defendants were arrested in South Dandenong on Sunday and charged with criminal damage and common assault.

The 22-year-old man was bailed to appear in court in May, while Nicholls appeared briefly in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Monday afternoon.

His bail application was adjourned until Tuesday as he was off drugs and unfit to meet the magistrate.

On Tuesday, Detective Senior Detective Courtney Milner told the court Nicholls also faces separate allegations of strangling a woman.

The man allegedly attacked the woman in December and strangled her twice until she fainted and became dizzy.

The detective said Nicholls was an immediate risk to the woman’s safety and no bail conditions would alleviate those concerns.

But Nicholls’ lawyer told the court his client should be granted bail because he had access to treatment for drug and anger issues through an integrated services programme.

The barrister said Nicholls could also live with his mother in stable accommodation at the Dandenong South caravan park.

But Det Sen Const Milner raised concerns about the address, saying the other defendants in Saturday’s incident also lived in the same caravan park.

Judge Hugh Radford also flagged this as an issue as he rejected Nicholls’ bail application.

He accepted that this was Nicholls’ first time in custody and that the CISP program would assist him if he was released.

But Mr Radford said Nicholls faced a prison sentence if convicted, that the strangulation allegations were relatively strong and that the alleged attack on the imam was worrying.

As the judge delivered his verdict, there was chaos in the court as Nicholls swore and tried to jump off the bench.

His mother ran towards him, but guards took her out of the courtroom.

Nicholls was remanded in custody to return to court in February.