Police fight to keep neo-Nazi leader locked up
Allanah Sciberras and Emily Woods |
Police are fighting to keep a neo-Nazi group leader locked up, citing fears of escalating violence after he and his followers allegedly attacked an Aboriginal protest site.
White nationalist Thomas Sewell, 32, applied for bail at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday after spending the night behind bars following his arrest outside the court.
He has been charged with 25 offences including violent disorder and affray after being interviewed over the alleged attack on Camp Sovereignty at King’s Domain in the city centre on Sunday.
Prosecutor Jonathon McCarthy asked the magistrate to deny Sewell’s release on bail, arguing he posed an “unacceptable risk to society” because his violence had been increasing.
He was on bail when he allegedly committed the offences and police sought to revoke that conditional release.
Detective Senior Constable Saer Pascoe told the court it was concerning Sewell, as leader of neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Network, was allegedly encouraging others to commit violence.
“The applicant’s behaviour in recent times has been escalating in violence and concerning behaviour,” he said.
“He is their leader and has complete control. He has shown he has a large group of followers who will attack on instruction.”
Det Pascoe referred to Sewell becoming “erratic” after shouting and interrupting a press conference of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan on Tuesday.
Sewell allegedly led a group of about 30 men dressed in black to storm the Indigenous camp on Sunday evening after attending an anti-immigration rally in the city centre.
“The applicant turned back to the National Socialist Network group and incites the group, by instructing them to charge towards Camp Sovereignty,” Det Pascoe said.
Members of the network held down occupants of the camp and began to kick them, he said.
The detective described Camp Sovereignty as “a First Nations refuge” and said another person was struck with a pole, kicked and punched by members of the network.
The incident injured three people, with the worst suffered by a woman who required staples in her scalp to close a wound, the court was told.
Nathan Bull, 23, and a 20-year-old from Ardeer have been charged with violent disorder, affray and other offences following the incident, but they were bailed by police on Tuesday night.
Sewell had also been arrested and interviewed over an incident on August 9, for which he has been charged with assault and committing an offence while on bail, Det Pascoe said.
He and a large group of members from his group participated in a march through Melbourne’s city centre and then assaulted a man, the detective said.
Sewell’s lawyer, interstate solicitor Mathew Hopkins, appeared by video link to ask the magistrate to bail his client.
He claimed prosecutors were only using the August 9 incident to “bolster” their argument to deny bail and were intertwining their evidence with a “political attack” on his client.
In the earlier incident, Sewell was acting in self-defence as the other man had hit him first, Mr Hopkins said.
Sewell never missed a court hearing, was committed to fighting all charges and he needed to be released to help his wife and children return from a holiday in Queensland, he said.
Magistrate Donna Bakos will hand down her bail decision on Friday afternoon.
Sewell appeared in another court room after his bail application for a contested hearing over intimidation offences, a matter that had been cut short because of his arrest on Tuesday afternoon.
Magistrate Michelle Hodgson said she was aware he was in custody but would like to continue the hearing, which began on Monday.
“I would like to continue,” Sewell said, representing himself.
Prosecutor Melissa Mahady said witnesses were on standby and agreed to proceed, with Sewell asking to get access to his legal documents.
AAP
