A violent confrontation between media and the family of slain Sydney crime figure Hamad Assaad has left one TV journalist bloody, following a judge’s ruling that Hamad’s brother Tarek would not be granted bail.
Hamad Assaad was gunned down outside his Georges Hall home on October 25th, shortly after he emerged as a leading suspect in the murder of feared standover man Wally Ahmad back in April.
Late yesterday NSW Organised Crime Squad officers raided the house and car of Tarek Assaad and allegedly discovered a loaded semi-automatic shotgun (with the identifying markings scratched off), an ammunition magazine containing some 14 rounds, ammunition suitable for a Glock handgun, and around one gram of cocaine.
Charged with a string of drug and firearm offences, Tarek faced Bankstown Local Court today for a bail hearing. Magistrate Elaine Truscott summarily binned Tarek’s bail application, stating that he “poses an extreme risk to the community.”
“I find it impossible to believe that the defendant did not know there was a loaded firearm in a drawer in his TV cabinet.”
Tarek Assaad was denied bail and the case was adjourned until January.
Outside the court, a media throng awaited members of Assaad’s family, with one lashing out at a reporter, leaving her with a bloody cut above her eye.
The investigation continues, as police in Sydney seek to curb a spate of gangland shootings and escalating violence.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 7News Sydney.
