Guildford grass fire: Fadi Zraika and Abraham Zreika reappear in court
Co-accused arsonists who were charged with lighting a grass fire in western Sydney while fires ravaged NSW sipped coffee and failed to stand for the magistrate during a court appearance.
Parramatta
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Accused arsonists — including one who laughed off questions over allegedly lighting a grass fire at Guildford while blazes raged across NSW — have reappeared in court.
Police allege Fadi Zraika and Abraham Zreika, both 18, set off fireworks that sparked a grass fire at Bright Park on December 22 about 2.40pm.
Several small grassfires spread rapidly in the winds before Rural Fire Service volunteers doused the fires.
The pair was arrested at a fast food restaurant in Merrylands.
Today at Parramatta Local Court, Zraika, who laughed at media’s questions and filmed reporters on his phone after his first court appearance on January 7, pleaded not guilty to negligently handling explosives and for failing to disclose the identity of a driver.
The Villawood teen sipped coffee in court before Magistrate Robyn Denes adjourned the matter to March 21.
His co-accused, Zreika, of Merrylands, pleaded not guilty to the negligent handling of explosives but guilty to being a passenger that failed to disclose a driver’s identity and having custody of a knife in a public place.
He failed to stand when Magistrate Denes called his name in court.
His lawyer, Dennis Stewart, requested his client’s bail conditions be alleviated so he could support his family.
“It’s proven quite disruptive to his life because his mother is a single mother who’s had a child and he needs to provide her support,’’ Mr Stewart said.
Magistrate Denes set a bail variation application date for January 19 and for the matter to be adjourned to Parramatta Local Court on March 3.