CCTV footage of Farhad Qaumi stabbing Abuzar Sultani in Goulburn Supermax
Shocking footage of the former leader of Brothers 4 Life stabbing another gangland leader and triple murderer at Goulburn Supermax has been revealed. See the video here.
The Bowral News
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Shock footage of the moment an ex-Brothers 4 Life Blacktown gang leader stabbed another high-profile inmate has been released — revealing the pair remained in a room together for 60 seconds as officers watched on.
Farhad Qaumi, 39, was sentenced at Goulburn District Court last Wednesday for assault occasioning bodily harm of triple murderer, Abuzar Sultani – a charge he previously pleaded guilty to.
After Qaumi’s lawyers fought to keep the video of the stabbing from being published NewsLocal can exclusively reveal the footage, after appearing before a judge on Tuesday to argue for its release.
The CCTV footage of the attack – which occurred on May 20, 2020 – was previously played in court as an exhibit.
It showed Qaumi in the TV room with his handcuffs removed, and Sultani entering with his handcuffs still on.
As he moved to the door to have his handcuffs taken off, Qaumi who was standing behind, took a shiv made from a razor from his pant pocket and lunged for the victim, stabbing him multiple times. Sultani is seen to shield his face with his arms.
Sultani, who was bleeding from his face and neck, can be seen moving around the room to protect himself.
He is seen to still be wearing handcuffs and therefore limited in being able to defend himself.
Qaumi is then shown on the footage following him around the room, and continues to “sporadically” stab him.
He is then seen to pre-emptively kneel on the floor, ready to be handcuffed before a number of officers are seen rushing in.
The court heard Sultani sustained a 10cm laceration to his neck, a 5cm laceration on his forehead as well as other injuries.
On Tuesday when access to the footage was granted by Judge Mark Williams, he acknowledged there is no right of access to certain exhibits such as CCTV but said there is a public interest in this matter.
He said the media are “the eyes and the ears of the general public who cannot always sit in court” and the court has a discretion to consider the principles of open justice.
Qaumi’s barrister, David Price, said last week that he did not want the media having the footage and “plastering it all across the 6pm news”.
On Tuesday, Quami’s instructing solicitor, Simon Joyner, said: “The release of the video in question would likely inflame gang violence and cause further trouble on the streets of Sydney.”
To back up his claim, he mentioned a case of a then 15-year-old ISIS supporter found to have murdered Curtis Cheng in Parramatta, suggesting the release of the footage would encourage voyeurism and sensationalism.
However, Judge Williams said Qaumi’s case has vastly different circumstances to that of the teen ISIS murderer.
Corrective Services sources aware of the incident described it as “highly unusual and incredibly disturbing that multiple officers watched on for so long and did not respond”.
“They would have been expected to order physical direction to the inmate, to tell him to drop the weapon and submit to officers, but this footage shows this had not occurred,” the source said.
The source said it would have been understandable if “junior officers were awaiting a specialist team”.
“But based on this footage you can see the responding officer is the same rank as others who watched on and did nothing,” he said. “There were enough offices in the initial circumstance, watching on, to have responded to this situation.
“Doors inside Supermax swing outwards, these officers could have opened the door to free the cuffed inmate being attacked.
“The other question that needs to be asked is why officers would put two opposing gang leaders in a room to play chess — this should not have occurred at all.”
Corrections Minister Geoff Lee said he “would always prefer to see officers come home to their families than rush into a situation that endangers their lives”.
“I always support officers and will ask the Corrective Services Commissioner to review the incident,” he said.
It is believed the reason the two men were left alone in the TV room will be reviewed.
A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman told NewsLocal officers were “trained to de-escalate inmate fights by first issuing verbal directions, while also calling for an emergency response”.
“In situations where weapons are present, staff must take into consideration the higher level of risk to their own safety before physically responding,” she said. “Specialist response officers arrive on scene to further assist in incidences where inmates remain non-compliant.”
Qaumi was given 19 months on top of his current sentence, with 12 months non parole.
He is currently serving an almost 60-year jail term for a long list of crimes, including orchestrating the assassination of standover man and construction identity Jo Antoun who was shot dead at the front of his Strathfield home in December 2013.
The court heard last week that Qaumi’s has three children and had a traumatic childhood in Afghanistan, involving having his teacher and friend killed in a school bombing.
When fleeing the war and moving to Australia in 1998, he also witnessed the death of a friend and was victim to domestic abuse at the hands of his father.
He will be eligible for release from October 7, 2056.
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