Christmas Day terror plotter Ahmed Mohamed has sentence cut in ‘most unusual appeal’
A man who helped plot a Christmas Day terror attack to behead people in Melbourne and firebombed a mosque had a major win in court.
A man who firebombed a mosque and then weeks later was plotting to behead civilians on Christmas Day at an iconic Melbourne location has had his jail time cut.
Ahmed Mohamed was found guilty of conspiring “in preparation for a terrorist act” after he along with three others plotted to behead people and set off bombs at Federation Square on Christmas Day in 2016.
He was also found guilty over his role in a firebomb attack on a Shia mosque on December 11 that same year.
Mohamed was jailed for 26 years for the Christmas Day terror plot and 22 years for his role in razing the mosque.
The convicted terror plotter only appealed the order that he serve 16 years on top of his sentence for the mosque attack, which meant he would spend 38 years behind bars.
He also argued the total sentence should not be “crushing”.
“This is a most unusual sentence appeal,” the Court of Appeal justices wrote in their decision.
They found the total sentence of 38 years infringed on the principle of totality and there was “vital public interest” in promoting Mohamed’s rehabilitation.
Instead, they ordered Mohamed to serve 32 years and he will now be eligible for parole after he spends 24 years behind bars.
This means the initial 16 years he was to serve on top of his sentence for the mosque attack has been reduced to 10 years.
“A substantially shorter period of cumulation will be sufficient to meet the sentencing purposes of just punishment, denunciation and general deterrence while, at the same time, promoting the public interest in the applicant’s rehabilitation,” the judges found.