Accused Family Court bomber thought Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘brainwashed’ daughter
A Sydney father accused of bombing the Family Court and a Jehovah’s Witness meeting hall, believed his daughter had been “brainwashed” by the congregation, his Supreme Court murder trial has heard.
NSW
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Exclusive: A Sydney father allegedly behind the deadly bombing of a religious hall was convinced Jehovah’s Witnesses had “brainwashed” his daughter, a trial heard.
Leonard Warwick is accused of launching a murderous rampage in the 1980s targeting the Family Court and its judges as he fought his estranged wife for custody of their only child.
Witness Edwin Archbold told police that Warwick came to his house in 1985 asking for help to find his wife and daughter, who he believed were being hidden from him by Jehovah’s Witnesses with the help of police.
“I asked him, did he have a good relationship with his daughter. He said that he did, but since his wife had become involved with the Jehovah’s Witnesses they brainwashed her,” Mr Archbold said in an August 1985 police interview.
In the transcript tendered to Warwick’s Supreme Court murder trial, Mr Archbold said the firefighter also thought a Jehovah’s Witness who worked at Liverpool Fire Station was “keeping an eye on him.”
Warwick’s DNA allegedly matched that of blood stains found inside the Casula Jehovah’s Witness hall he is accused of bombing in July that year.
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The explosion killed congregation member Graham Wykess and seriously injured 13 others.
The court has previously heard the culprit suffered a serious injury while breaking into the hall a week earlier — losing a litre of blood — but a body search conducted on Warwick a week after the attack found “not a mark on him”.
One hour after the bombing police arrested Warwick and raided his home, he told Mr Archbold according to court documents.
The former Families Against Unnecessary Legal Trauma member said Warwick thought Sergeant Kevin Woods had been housing his daughter in a secret location for the past six months and was “in cahoots” with the religious group.
Warwick asked for the home address of the detective, who he said had been harassing him for seven months, Mr Archbold said.
Warwick told him “he’s always watched 24 hours a day’’ and wanted the identities and home addresses of the owners of five cars that were following him, Mr Archbold told the judge-alone trial.
The 72-year-old has pleaded not guilty to 24 charges, including four counts of murder and two of attempted murder.
Court documents shown to the jury claim Mr Archbold called the police bomb task force in October 1985 and claims a detective told him they would harass Warwick until he agreed to speak to them “because it is part of our job.”
The detective said if Warwick was willing to talk to police he could use his “influence” to get the Parramatta Family Court to let him see his daughter, Mr Archbold claims.