Terror accused, 15, granted bail on appeal: Family to put up $750,000 surety

THE youngest person to ever be charged with a terrorism offence in Australia has been granted bail on appeal in the Supreme Court.

Court grants terror accused, 15, bail

THE youngest person to ever be charged with a terrorism offence in Australia has been granted bail on appeal in the Supreme Court.

The 15-year-old from Georges Hall, who allegedly boasted of “going to paradise” with the use of a firearm, was given bail on strict conditions by Justice Michael Adams, with his family to put up $750,000 as surety that he will abide by the terms of his bail.

Appearing via audiovisual link from a juvenile justice facility, the boy, who was dressed in a bright orange T-shirt with his hair tied back, smiled when he saw his family in the courtroom.

His family, who were visibly anxious during the hearing, burst into tears when Justice Adams read his decision.

The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with conspiring to commit an act in preparation of a terrorist act.

“So far as this case goes, although it is likely that his involvement in the offence started earlier, he was aged 13 and two months when it (the conspiracy) started and 14 and four months when his actions were brought (to a close),” Justice Adams said.

He said because of the boy’s tender age, although what he was allegedly involved in had “very worrying implications”, the teen’s understanding of these implications were “somewhat doubtful” and it was likely his thoughts were “aspirational bravado”.

“He has a supportive family and from all that I can tell they seem to be respectable people whose response to his initial involvement with others was one of shock,” Justice Adams said.

“For reasons I do not need to go into but which occurred sometime earlier (the boy) suffered a psychological reaction which has gravely affected his health and which I gather from psychological reports, which there are several, has somewhat stabilised in the last four months or so, but is still serious and requires treatment and is not best dealt with while he remains incarcerated.”

Justice Adams said he felt the boy’s condition would worsen if he was to remain in detention and that “could not be disregarded”.

The teen, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with conspiring to commit an act in preparation of a terrorist act

The Supreme Court justice said prior firearms charges the boy had faced were “relatively trivial” and while the “extreme ideology” involved in the current charges was troubling, he said the boy had been used as a pawn by “much older persons” who were “manipulating and usually cowardly elders”.

The teen was among five people charged following terror raids southwest Sydney in December. Police allege the group was plotting to attack a number of government buildings, including the Australian Federal Police building in Sydney’s CBD.

The court previously heard police had intercepted hundreds of phone calls between the boy and a co-accused, included a message allegedly coded in which the boy said; “I want to get to paradise through bananas”. Police allege bananas were a reference for firearm.

The boy was allegedly radicalised during the past year and it is alleged he was involved in a plot to attack an AFP building when he was just 14.

Photographs of the boy dressed in black and holding a gun, photographs of beheadings by Islamic State jihadis allegedly downloaded from his mobile phone, were previously tendered to the court.

Ibrahim Ghazzawy, 20, who was arrested on the same day as the boy in the nearby suburb of Raby, as well as three other men who are ­already in custody, were also charged with conspiring to conduct an act in preparation for a terrorist act.

Police will allege the group, who has links to those accused of murdering NSW Police civilian worker Curtis Cheng, were planning to shoot police officers outside the AFP building in Goulburn St or NSW Police HQ in Parramatta.

The boy’s bail conditions state that he must reside at his home, and report to police every day; he must not apply for a passport or go within 2km of any international departure station, he must not own, apply for or posses any mobile phone and he is not to have any access to the internet.

He must also abide by a 7pm to 7am curfew and must not have any contact with his co-accused.

The boy will reappear in Parramatta Children’s Court on February 2.