In brief
The Sydney court has ruled against Naveed Akram's attempt to suppress the names of his family members due to fears for their safety after a violent attack during a Jewish festival in Bondi Beach. The case has generated significant media coverage, leading to concerns of vigilante targeting on the Akram family. Despite their apprehensions, the court found that the details were already publicly accessible.
The alleged Bondi gunman has lost his court bid to suppress the names and addresses of his mother, brother, and sister due to fears over their safety.
Lawyers for Naveed Akram - who is facing 59 charges over December's attack on a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach that killed 15 people - argued that his family could be targeted by vigilantes and had already experienced abuse.
Last month, details of Akram's family were suppressed under an interim order but on Thursday, a Sydney court lifted it after several media outlets opposed the move.
The case had attracted unprecedented attention in Australia and globally, the judge ruled, and information about the family was already widely available online.
This case has unprecedented public interest, outrage, anger, and grief, Judge Hugh Donnelly told the court.
He said the request for a suppression order lasting 40 years did not meet the exceptional circumstances threshold and would have limited impact as it would only apply in Australia and not social media platforms or international media outlets.
The judge noted the case was exceptional by virtue of the sheer magnitude and intensity of the commentary on overseas platforms.
Unfortunately, Akram's driver's license had already been posted online, and his lawyers had not adequately explained how an order could be enforced.
He also said he was not critical of an interview that Akram's mother gave to a local outlet but that suppressing her identity would offer little protection.
The court found the names and workplaces of Akram's siblings were unlikely to be relevant to any ongoing legal proceedings.
Akram, 24, appeared in court via video link from the high-security prison where he is being held.
During a previous hearing, it was revealed that people had driven past Akram's family home, shouting abuse and death threats.
Family members reported receiving threatening texts and phone calls, with Akram's mother stating, We live in constant fear someone will harm us or set our house on fire. I fear for my life and the lives of my children.
Lawyers for the media organizations opposing the suppression order argued that the details of his family were already widely known and provided no evidence of an imminent risk to them.
