Criminal lawyer Ali Abbas has knife conviction overturned

Who’s the criminal lawyer who overturned a criminal conviction? Why did a pub matriarch have to face court? And who is the real victim of the Drowning Centre disaster? The Snitch is here.

Well known criminal lawyer Ali Abbas has had his conviction overturned for bringing a knife into Sydney’s busiest court complex.

In one of the more bizarre cases we’ve seen in recent years, Abbas was charged after the court’s X-ray machines picked a knife in his bag as it was being scanned at the court’s entry in November 2023.

Abbas, who has represented high profile clients like Bassam Hamzy and deceased bikie boss Mick Hawi, told the sheriff it was a fruit knife that he had forgotten to take out of his bag the day before.

The sheriffs weren’t having it and charged him anyway.

He was found guilty last October of possessing a knife that was not a prohibited weapon in a court complex.

Ali Abbas. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Abbas appealed and that conviction was overturned by Judge Bennett in the District Court last month.

Judge Bennett rejected his argument that his liability for the weapon was relieved because he had forgotten it was in his laptop bag.

However, the judge accepted Abbas would have removed the knife if he remembered it was there.

It all sounds a bit harsh to Snitch, as any time we’ve seen a similar situation the sheriffs confiscate the item and give them a receipt to pick it up when they leave.

COURT DATE FOR PARKING OFFENCE

It’s been a bad trot for well-known Sydney pub-owning clan the De Angelis family of late.
Family matriarch Robyn De Angelis got busted parking over a driveway in a particularly ritzy part of town and was ordered to face court.

Court records said Ms De Angelis – the sister of fellow pub titan Arthur Laundy – got pinged by rangers from Woollahra Council and the matter was sent to the Downing Centre Local Court on Monday.

Instead of appearing in court, Ms De Angelis sent a written plea before the hearing, pleading guilty to stopping on or across a driveway, court records show.

Magistrate Rosheehan O’Meagher found the pub boss guilty but did not register a conviction on her record.

Robyn De Angelis (left) with husband Archie (middle) and son Phillip. Picture: John Grainger

The De Angelis family is one of Sydney’s better known pub dynasties and owns a collection of suburban watering holes, including the Picton Hotel and the Bath Arms Hotel in Burwood.

They are also rather partial to owning waterfront properties in some of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs, like Hunters Hill (where Robyn lives) and Woolwich.

But it hasn’t been smooth sailing in recent times.

Robyn’s son Peter has been in a bit of hot water.

It was revealed by another column – the name of which escapes us – that he had pleaded guilty to high-range drink-driving and was appearing before Liverpool Local Court.

COURT DISASTER

Sydney’s busiest court complex has long been colloquially known as “The Drowning Centre”.

Tasz Andreolas’ Miss Carter cafe was forced to close this week due to a power failure. Picture: Christian Gilles

That became a reality this week when the Downing Centre was forcibly closed thanks to a massive flooding and power failure issue.

The court is set to remain closed “for at least the next few weeks” until the repair works are completed, according to the Chief Judge’s office.

With District Court trials now set to be aborted and Local Court matters being delayed, insiders are telling us that the already under-pressure court is now facing an unprecedented backlog disaster.

“There were 516 matters listed before the Local Court on Wednesday and you can expect that number to blow out even further when the court reopens,” one insider said.

Among the biggest fallouts was the forced closure of famed cafe Miss Carter, which suffered a power failure.

The Castlereagh St cafe, owned by Tasz Andreolas, is considered a demilitarised zone, given it is where you will find lawyers, cops, judges and crims lining up for a coffee outside of court sitting hours.

So buy an extra coffee when they’re back on deck.
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