Zakariah Wehbeh: Merrylands man charged after brawl between Lalor Park Kookas, Berala Bears
A man accused of unleashing violence during a wild carpark brawl between two A-Grade rugby league teams has faced court.
The Express
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A man accused of unleashing violence during a wild brawl between two rugby league teams in southwest Sydney has fronted court.
Zakariah Wehbeh, 21, appeared before Bankstown Local Court on Thursday on charges of affray and behaving in an offensive manner in a public space.
The Merrylands man was charged following a fight involving fans and players of the Lalor Park Kookas and Berala Bears which took place in the carpark about 30 minutes after the end of an open age match at Terry Lamb Complex, Chester Hill on June 4.
The brawl lasted about one minute and involved a crowd of more than a dozen men wearing team jerseys who dispersed by the time police arrived.
Wehbeh, dressed in a dark button-up shirt, was represented in court by Abdul Reslan who asked for the matter to be adjourned for three weeks. The adjournment was granted by a deputy registrar.
Detective Superintendent Adam Johnson said, following the brawl, the violence was “outrageous, totally unacceptable”.
“It’s clear people don’t have their emotions in check and have issues with their anger,” he said.
Following the incident, Berala Bears voluntarily withdrew the A-Grade team involved in the incident from the competition.
Lalor Park secretary Sonia Smart told this publication she was “horrified” and the incident was under investigation.
A NSW Rugby League statement, issued in the days following the incident, said a review would take place “in conjunction with Canterbury-Bankstown District Junior Rugby League and Parramatta Junior Rugby League”.
Wehbeh declined to comment when leaving court, alongside his lawyer.
The matter will return to court August 10.
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