Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell granted bail after alleged attack on Indigenous Camp Sovereignty in Kings Domain
“The sixth victim… was hit with a flagpole. Then five NSN members among them also launched missiles.”
Dober claimed that he personally punched and kicked the two victims before being held back by Sewell’s supporters.
Video footage of the alleged neo-Nazi attacked at Camp Sovereignty on August 31.
The Prosecutor’s Office acknowledged that some charges could not continue to be prosecuted depending on the decisions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Arguing for bail, defense lawyer Dermot Dann, KC, raised issues with the police charges.
He said any future hearings would likely take up to two years. His client was at risk of spending more time in custody than any future sentence.
Dann also called for parity with Sewell’s 14 defendants who are out on bail, including 29-year-old Jaeden Johnson, who has previous convictions for violent crimes.
Camp Sovereignty in Kings Domain is a sacred site for the Indigenous community.Credit: Penny Stephens
Dann said Sewell had received a job offer to work as a roofing fitter’s assistant if released on bail, the support of his partner and an offer of new accommodation for his family.
“He is currently in solitary confinement… supposedly due to his high-profile nature… to prevent a possible conflict. [in custody]said Dann.
The maximum penalty for violent disorder is 10 years in prison.
Sewell on 5 September bail denied A magistrate in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court ruled there were no bail conditions he could impose to keep Victorians safe after allegations he ordered his followers to attack people at a sacred Indigenous site.
Sewell’s fiancée, Rebecca Konstantinou, leaves the Supreme Court. Credit: EddieJim
Police argued with Sewell Unless he remained behind bars, he would probably kill or seriously injure someone, or order one of his loyal followers to do so.
Sewell is also charged with allegedly assaulting a man who ran towards him as his group walked through Bourke Street Shopping Center at around 12.30am on August 9.
The judge said Sewell had been granted bail twice when he was arrested in September.
Rebecca Konstantinou, Sewell’s fiancée and the mother of his two children, told the court the family would live in a shared house, renting it to two people and paying each of them $1,000 a month.
While she currently cares for children outside of work and receives government payments, she often works as a behavioral counselor in schools to support children with trauma and disabilities, she said.
Konstantinou, who met Sewell in high school, said he, too, was willing to post $20,000 bail to secure her release. Some of the funds would come from friends and family.
The court heard Sewell is currently on an 18-month community sentencing order after being found guilty of intimidating a police officer and his wife. The court heard he must carry out 200 hours of community service.
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He was found not guilty of offensive behavior at the Ballarat rally last month.
Judge James Elliott told the court there were compelling reasons why Sewell should be granted bail and noted the prosecution had not proven the 32-year-old was an unacceptable risk to the community.
Sewell was released on bail in exchange for $20,000 surety, requiring him to abide by a nightly curfew, reside only at a specific address, report to police three times a week, and not contact other defendants or witnesses or leave the state.
Sewell was also banned from coming within 200 meters of Kings Domain and entering Melbourne’s central business district except for legal or medical reasons.
Sewell is scheduled to appear in court in Victoria and South Australia in December.
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