Accused ex-SAS a ‘risk’ of combat with WA police
A former elite Australian soldier accused of committing a war crime could be at risk of engaging in “hand-to-hand” combat with police who enforce his bail conditions, a court has been told.
Oliver Schulz appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Monday via audiovisual link to make a bid to have his strict conditions relaxed to allow him to have meetings with his lawyer in Western Australia.
Dressed in a maroon buttonup shirt and grey blazer, Mr Schulz sat and listened as the court was told he wants to visit Perth multiple times to have briefings with his lawyer, Karen Espiner.
The 41-year-old has been charged with committing a war crime by murdering a civilian while he was deployed in Afghanistan with the Australian Defence Force.
Police allege the 41-year-old fatally shot Dad Mohammad, a father and struggling farmer, in a wheat field in Uruzgan Province in May 2012.
Mr Schulz, a former Special Air Services soldier, is the first Australian serviceman or veteran to be charged with a war crime under Australian law.
Sean Flood, representing the commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, told the court assessments needed to be made to ensure police would be safe while enforcing Mr Schulz’s bail conditions in Perth.
“Mr Schulz is a highly trained former military officer … they (police) wanted to make sure if they were conducting compliance checking they were sending people who would be safe in the circumstance,” Mr Flood told the court. “He’s in a much better position to enter into hand-tohand combat than a member of the public because of his training.”
He told the court there were also concerns Mr Schulz may be a flight risk while in Perth.
The magistrate will make a final decision on the matter on Friday. Mr Schulz was arrested in March 2023 and granted bail after it was found he was at risk of being targeted in prison.