Things learned at hearing
A prosecutor who did not oppose bail for Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis eight weeks before the tragedy had been in the job for just two months, an inquest has heard.
The inquest before Coroner Michael Barnes into the siege heard a Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) prosecutor had not done a bail application in New South Walesbefore handling Monis’ appearance in court in October 2014 on multiple sexual assault charges.
Sex crime squad detective Senior Constable Denise Vavayis told the inquest she was not aware the DPP officer had started the job only two months before the hearing.
The inquest also heard Vavayis did not know the prosecutor had told Monis’ defence solicitors that police had “no issue” with Monis’ bail being continued — contrary to her stated opposition to bail.
The prosecutor had advised there were no strong grounds for seeking Monis’ bail to be revoked.
Vavayis told the inquest she would not necessarily have acted differently if she had known the prosecutor had been with the DPP only a short time.
The application for bail could have been handled differently if more evidence was available to authorities, experts have advised the inquest.
The inquest into the December 2014 siege has heard Monis was on bail for writing offensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers at the time he allegedly committed three sexual assaults.
A panel of four experts has advised that Monis’ successful bail bid in October could have been handled differently if information about that Commonwealth bail had been provided but “silos” between state and federal jurisdictions prevented that information being shared.
The inquest also heard the gun used by Monis was one of about 250,000 unregistered “grey market” weapons in Australia.
Counsel assisting the inquest Jeremy Gormly, SC, said the pump-action shotgun was imported into Australia in the 1950s but had never been registered, nor turned in under the 1996 compulsory gun buyback.
A photograph of the weapon displayed in court yesterday showed how the gun had been crudely cut down to allow it to be easily concealed.
Australia’s two most senior Muslim leaders say Monis was unknown in the Muslim community and an “amateur” in his understanding of the religion.
Senior counsel assisting the siege
letters Man Haron Monis was on bail for writing offensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers at the time he allegedly committed three sexual assaults. A panel of experts has advised that Monis’ successful bail bid in October 2014 could have been handled differently if information had been provided but “silos” between state and federal jurisdictions prevented its being shared.
gun The gun used by Monis was one of about 250,000 unregistered “grey market” weapons in Australia. The pump-action shotgun was imported into Australia in the 1950s but had never been registered, nor turned in under the 1996 compulsory gun buyback.
to community Australia’s two most senior Muslim leaders say Monis was unknown in the Muslim community and an “amateur” in his understanding of the religion. Shia leader in Australia, Sheikh Kamal Mousselmani, told investigators neither he nor other senior clerics knew of Monis, who called himself Sheikh Haron. A check of Monis’ website showed “he seemed to have an amateur knowledge” of Islam, he said. Sunni leader, Grand Mufti of Australia Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, said Monis was “not particularly known in the community”. inquest Sophie Callan, SC, told the court that the Shia leader in Australia, Sheikh Kamal Mousselmani, told investigators neither he nor other senior clerics knew of Monis, who called himself Sheikh Haron.
A check of Monis’ website, sheikhharon.com, showed “he seemed to have an amateur knowledge” of Islam, Mousselmani said.
The Sunni leader, Grand Mufti of Australia Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammed, said Monis, who claimed to be an Islamic cleric, was “not particularly known in the community”.
The inquest has heard that terrorism experts are split on whether the siege constituted an act of terror. — AAP Rescuers were heading to a site in remote eastern Indonesia where debris has been spotted after a plane crashed with 54 people on board on Sunday.
The plane operated by Indonesian carrier Trigana Air lost contact with air traffic control during a short flight in bad weather from Jayapura, capital of Papua province. The ATR 42-300 twinturboprop plane was carrying 44 adult passengers, five children and five crew on the flight, which was to take about 45 minutes. There were no foreigners on board, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was told.
It disappeared about 10 minutes before reaching Oksibil, a remote settlement in the mountains south of Jayapura. Officials said that villagers