Darroch Ball
Co-Leader/Spokesperson
Sensible Sentencing Trust
“Documents released to Sensible Sentencing Trust show that despite knowing the imminent threat terrorist Ahamed Aathill Mohamed Samsudeen posed to the community, Police still actively supported his application to be released into the community on bail,” says Darroch Ball co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust.
This support of his release on bail came just three days after Samsudeen was sentenced for possessing ISIS material where the court heard he had “the means and motivation to commit violent acts in the community and, despite not having violently offended to date, as posing a very high risk of harm to others.”
“Serious questions need to be asked about why Police did not oppose the application for bail when he posed a clear, direct, and imminent threat to the community.”
“The fact is we have been told that ‘every legal avenue that was available was utilised to keep the community safe’ – this clearly creates a significant contradiction that needs serious scrutiny.”
“Samsudeen was charged with ‘injuring with reckless disregard’ and ‘assault with intent to injure’ after breaking the jaw of a corrections officer while being held in custody.”
“In a ‘Joint Memorandum in Respect of Admission of Bail’ between Police Prosecution and Defence Council dated 9 July, Police state they are ‘not opposed to bail’ if certain conditions were met – unbelievably including that he not ‘offer or threaten violence to anyone’.”
“The fact that Police and intelligence agencies were putting Samsudeen under 24-hour surveillance, that he needed a Special Tactics Group constantly in his vicinity, and up to thirty officers were involved in monitoring him, it indicates the serious danger they knew he posed.”
“It beggars belief Police did not challenge the bail application when Samsudeen was already isolated from the community, controlled in custody, and when he still had active violence charges against him.”
“Support by Police for Samsudeen’s release into the community seems in hindsight, at the very least, a massively gross and costly error in judgement.”
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