A NSW court has refused to extend a suppression order on the identities of the family of alleged Bondi Beach terrorist Naveed Akram.
Naveed has been charged with 59 offences over the December shooting at a Bondi Beach Chanukah event which killed 15 people. Police killed his father Sajid at the scene.
Last month, Naveed’s mother, sister and brother were granted a temporary suppression order on their names and address.
The court ruled not to extend the order on Thursday because their information has already been leaked online.
Suppression orders
Australia’s judicial system is based on the principle of “open justice,” meaning court proceedings are normally available for the public to see and media to report on.
However, suppression orders (also known as gag orders) can be introduced to restrict what is made public.
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When a suppression order is in place, it becomes an offence to publish details the judge has asked be kept secret.
Anyone who publishes those details can face prison time or heavy fines.
Ruling
On Thursday, Judge Hugh Donnelly ruled against extending the suppression order on the alleged shooters’ family’s identity.
While Donnelly acknowledged that evidence suggested Naveed and Sajid’s family had “nothing to do with what occurred,” he found the order would be ineffective as their information had already been shared on social media.
Naveed Akram’s lawyer Richard Wilson SC said in court last month the family lives in “constant fear” and has received death threats.
