Kelly Farrugia charged after Kmart Bankstown, Granville Boys High incidents

A woman accused of unleashing religiously motivated threats at pro-Palestine supporters at Bankstown Kmart has been further accused of narrowly missing a school staffer with her car.

A woman charged with making religiously motivated threats towards pro-Palestine supporters after a tirade at a southwest Sydney Kmart was caught on camera has been further accused of intimidating a western Sydney school staffer by driving her car at him.

Video of Kelly Farrugia’s shocking unprovoked tirade at Kmart Bankstown – in which she screamed “are you proud of wearing from the river to the sea? Get f–ked, Allah, every f–king day, f–k off” – was shared widely on social media.

Four days earlier on December 18, police allege Farrugia also narrowly missed a Granville Boys High School staffer with her car outside the school.

“It’s a long story,” Farrugia told Acting Magistrate Ray Plibersek at Parramatta Bail Court on Monday.

“I got a phone call from police telling me that they have been recording me and if I do anything they are threatening me with an AVO.

“This is the principal – he’s using the school as his own Pentagon.”

Kelly Farrugia’s tirade was directed at pro-Palestine supporters.

Granville Boys principal Noel Dixon is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Farrugia, 39, was charged with publicly threatening violence on religious grounds, offensive behaviour, using offensive language, and intimidation over the Sunday Kmart incident.

She was further charged with common assault and intimidation over the incident outside Granville Boys High School.

Police prosecutor Sgt Bassin opposed Farrugia’s bail, highlighting what police will allege is a predisposition towards “racially motivated stereotyping or targeting”.

“That’s concerning, particularly the matter that occurred within the Kmart, where she appears to have no prior interactions with the complainants,” Sgt Bassin said.

Ms Farrugia was charged with publicly threatening violence on religious grounds.

“These are people just going about their business, doing their shopping, when they’re confronted with quite significant intimidation and slurs.”

The prosecutor said the incident allegedly involving Mr Dixon would have caused quite significant risk to the public at large.

“There were other students on the roundabout at the time,” Sgt Bassin said.

“What does indicate it was very close to the actual complainant is that he felt the wind of the vehicle – the car must have come very close, and it’s fortunate there’s no collision.”

The court heard the incident allegedly occurred against a backdrop of ongoing issues and “targeting” spanning four to five years.

Farrugia flips the bird at Bankstown Kmart.

“There is a fixation with that school,” Sgt Bassin said.

“It puts the community, and particularly the members of the faith outlined, at risk.”

Legal Aid solicitor Mr Khan described Farrugia as having an “annoyance, or disdain” with people of a certain faith.

“It’s more than an annoyance, it’s overtly threatening behaviour,” Mr Plibersek responded.

Mr Plibersek agreed to release Farrugia on strict conditional bail to reside with her father, abide by a curfew between 9pm and 5am, and not go within 500m of either Bankstown or Granville.

“It’s theirs, they can have it,” Farrugia responded.

She will return to court again in January.

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