Punished enough: Bulli boat tragedy skipper Abdulkeram Alnadawi spared sentence

The captain of a boat which capsized off Bulli’s Waniora Point in October last year, leading to the death of his friend, has avoided a criminal conviction.

An Iraqi refugee whose boat capsized off the coast of Bulli was spared a conviction in Wollongong Local Court on Thursday.

Abdulkeram Alnadawi, a 37-year-old father of three, owned and captained the boat which sank after colliding with Peggy’s Reef on October 31 last year with seven men onboard.

Off-duty surf life savers assisted in getting the group of friends to the shore where CPR was performed on four of them.

Three were rushed to hospital, however, the fourth man, 37-year-old Mohammed Abd-Hussein Kazali, died at the scene.

Four men received CPR, but tragically one of the men was unable to be saved. Picture: Simon Bullard

Magistrate Claire Girotto took into consideration Alnadawi’s guilty plea to the charge of negligent navigation causing death and how the tragic incident, as well as his past in the Middle East, had left the now Fairfield man with PTSD with his medication keeping him up at night.

“Peggy’s reef is famous because it has caused so many problems, especially for people who don’t know the area,” Magistrate Girotto said.

“You’ve lost a close friend and that is more punishment than any court could hand out.

“I don’t believe a conviction is warranted and one is not being sought after by the prosecution.”

The court heard that Alnadawi has a degree in sports medicine from the University of Baghdad and arrived in Darwin with his wife in 2013 with the couple having their third child shortly after.

Abdulkeram Alnadawi leaving Wollongong Local Court on after being spared a conviction. Picture: Dylan Arvela

Magistrate Girotto said she was obliged to suspend Alnadawi’s boating licence for 12 months, despite Alnadawi’s solicitor arguing it was irrelevant given “He will never step foot on a boat again”.

Magistrate Girotto asked Alnadawi if he had arrived in Australia by boat.

He nodded.

“My condolences,” Magistrate Girotto concluded.