Breaking: Sydney terror trial collapses as judge takes aim at prosecutors
The terrorism trial of Simon Fleming, who took hostages at gunpoint and sprayed bullets through a NSW suburb, has sensationally collapsed with a jury being ordered not to convict him over the daylight rampage.she is relieved her son has finally been seen as the “sad story that he is” and not a violent terrorist.Fleming, 41, marched into a Windang dive shop, outside Wollongong, in the midst of a psychotic episode and held two men at gunpoint.
Simon Fleming’s mother, Carol, supported her son throughout his trial, testifying he had longstanding mental health issues.The jury foreperson formally announced Fleming was not guilty as he sat in the dock of Parramatta trial court.Fleming’s mother, Carol, in a statement released through her son’s lawyer Aaron Kernaghan, said they had been let down by a mental health system that was only ever interested in tranquillising her troubled son.
“And I’m so relieved that, finally, a justice of the Supreme Court has paid attention and seen Simon for the sad story that he is.”The jury was not aware that Crown prosecutors capitulated on Monday after Wilson threw out the evidence of one of their right-wing extremist experts. Instead, Wilson entered “special verdicts” that noted Fleming was suffering from a serious psychological impairment and could not be held criminally responsible.
“It’s undoubtedly a terrible situation that occurred. But it was a cry for help, a desperate cry, in circumstances where a person had 12 years of medical treatment without any success.”
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Not really a big ask’: How to fix Sydney’s big problem with generic apartmentsBulky blocks with poor ventilation looming over streets aren’t the only option for solving Sydney’s housing crisis.
Read more »
Fit for a Dame: Sydney Opera House to host Barry Humphries’ memorialFollowing a tug-of-war between NSW and Victoria, the Sydney Opera House has been revealed as the venue for a state memorial service for the late comedian Barry Humphries.
Read more »
The reasons Sydney’s rail network is set to worsen in the futureAn interim review into repeated failures across Sydney’s rail network lays much of the blame on a major shakeup of the rail timetable six years ago.
Read more »
Man shot dead in western Sydney, car found on fire nearbyBREAKING: A man - aged in his 20s - has been shot dead at Elizabeth Hills in western Sydney. Police were called to a property this afternoon, while firefighters responded to two burnt out cars nearby Bonnyrigg Heights and Green Valley. 9News MORE:
Read more »
Man shot to death in Sydney's west as alight car found nearbyPolice have launched an investigation into an incident that left a male victim, believed to be in his 20s, dead following a shooting in Elizabeth Hills while another car engulfed in flames was found nearby.
Read more »
Sydney’s house prices could rise 10pc this yearSydney’s house prices are on track to rise by more than 10 per cent this year, given the market’s rate of growth, experts say.
Read more »