Supreme Court grants home detention bail to mother, 56, accused of attempted honour killing of daughter, 21

The mother at the centre of an “attempted honour killing” has been granted bail, despite the alleged victim’s fear of what her family “might do” to her.

A young woman’s fear of her family after an “attempted honour killing” in public is not sufficient reason to keep her mother in custody, a court has ruled.

On Friday, the Supreme Court released the mother – whose identity is suppressed – on electronically-monitored home detention bail with strict conditions.

Previously, prosecutors alleged the mother held her daughter, 21, while her father stabbed her then forced her into a car, took her home and denied her access to medical treatment.

They further alleged that, days before the stabbing, she was present when her sons staged a home invasion looking for the daughter and her Christian boyfriend.

However, Justice Tim Stanley said those allegations “did not lead inevitably to an inference” the mother was part of a plan to kill, try to kill or severely wound her daughter.

He said it remained plausible, on the evidence gathered to date and as claimed by defence counsel, the mother was “intervening to fend off” the stabbing.

“The prosecution case is that the motivation was the shame brought upon the family by the daughter’s relationship with this man, calling it an ‘attempted honour killing’,” he said.

Police at Sefton Plaza after a woman was stabbed and forced into a car. Picture: 7 NEWS.

“The daughter asserts she is in fear of her family ‘because of what happened’ to her and ‘what they might do’ to her and her partner ‘if they ever find us’.

“That’s a rather generic claim of fear of the family generally that does not descend into specific fear of her mother.

“I understand the force (of the law) is to provide the daughter peace of mind so that she can rely on the administration of justice to provide her protection.

“But I’m conscious of the fact she does not assert she has a specific fear of what her mother may do if she is not remanded in custody.”

The woman, 56, who had previously abandoned her bid for bail, has yet to plead to one count of attempted murder and one count of false imprisonment.

She is jointly charged alongside her husband, other daughter, son and son-in-law over the incident at a Sefton Plaza bus stop in December.

Last month, her husband offered to plead guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated causing serious harm with intent – provided the rest of his family were freed from jail.

On Friday, Justice Stanley bailed the mother to live at a northern suburbs address, ordering she and a guarantor first lodge $5000 cash each with the court.

He also banned her from communicating with any member of her family, and from going within 250m of her daughter or her daughter’s partner.