Scramble to track foreign ‘fighter’ supporter

Authorities are rushing to slap control orders on a nurse who helped foreign fighters in Syria after he walked free from jail on a Covid discount.

Adam Brookman admitted to aiding foreign fighters in Syria. Photo: Facebook

A Melbourne nurse who admitted to aiding foreign fighters in Syria has been released from jail hours after he was sentenced because of a discount given to prisoners during the pandemic.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews is now demanding urgent action to “rectify this situation” as authorities scramble to secure a control order for Adam Brookman, 45, who did a 10-week Middle East mission in 2014 including reconnaissance and weapons training.

Brookman, who has been in custody since he was arrested upon returning to Australia in 2015, was sentenced to six years and eight months in jail on Wednesday after pleading guilty to one charge of foreign incursion.

He was due to be released in March unless he sought parole.

But Brookman walked free late on Wednesday night with the rest of his sentence wiped because of “emergency management days” handed to prisoners who demonstrate good behaviour while suffering disruption or deprivation.

“The community rightly expects better than this,” Ms Andrews said, as she called on authorities to ensure offenders such as Brookman “have to serve the term they have been sentenced”.

Adam Brookman.

Supreme Court judge Jane Dixon said on Wednesday Brookman’s prospects of rehabilitation were “only fair”, noting he had shown no signs of remorse. He had not completed a deradicalisation program in prison. Justice Dixon said his extremist attitudes and beliefs at the time were “concerning” and highlighted that he had recently been writing to an inmate who had been convicted of terrorism offending.

Ms Andrews said the federal government had “moved to immediately protect the Victorian community”.

“I have spoken to the Australian Federal Police Commissioner who has assured me they have deployed their resources to assess and manage any risks to the community,” she said. “The AFP has advised me that shortly they will be seeking my consent to apply for a control order in relation to this matter. I will be giving that consideration my absolute priority.”

Control orders – which can only be sought after sentencing – are usually slapped on convicted terrorists to enable authorities to monitor them once they are released back into the community. While Brookman has not been convicted on terrorism, a person who has “engaged in a hostile activity in a foreign country” can be subjected to such an order. Brookman was initially charged with terrorism offences as the prosecution accused him for working for Islamic State, but those charges were dropped in April because a key witness was “no longer available”.

The Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety said it did not comment on “individual prisoners, former prisoners or placements”.