source : the age
Bondi Beach hero Ahmed al Ahmed has declared his innocence after police dropped domestic violence charges against the 44-year-old, who was accused of assaulting his father.
Ahmed, who confronted and disarmed gunman Sajid Akram during the December 14 terror attack, had pleaded not guilty to domestic violence common assault and stalking charges laid after an alleged altercation in March during which police alleged he put his father in a headlock.
Bankstown Local Court heard the charges against Ahmed were withdrawn after his father, Mohammad Fadeh al Ahmed, retracted his police statement. A 12-month apprehended domestic violence order protecting his father was accepted without admission of any wrongdoing.
“The law has been served. I’m innocent,” Ahmed said outside court.
“I’m a free man, and I will be for always a free man.”
He greeted a waiting media throng with a thumbs up as he arrived at court on Wednesday morning accompanied by an entourage of supporters.
Ahmed was praised internationally for his actions during the massacre, where he was shot several times. A fundraiser launched to support him after the attack raised more than $2.6 million from almost 50,000 donations.
Ahmed’s lawyer, Mohamad Sakr, said his client had been wrongfully charged and that withdrawing the charges was the “right thing to do”.
“There is no wrongdoing that has been committed by my client,” he said.
“His innocence, as I indicated, is still maintained and preserved. His good standing in the community is maintained.”
Ahmed said he was focusing on his health and expected to undergo further surgery later in the year, including a muscle or tendon transfer. He has undergone several surgeries since the December attack.
“I’m still suffering from the pain,” he said.
“What I have from the accident, from the shooting is still in my heart and in my body.”
Ahmed’s brothers, Hozifa al Ahmed, 35, and Sameh al Ahmed, 33, remain before the courts, charged with threatening him and allegedly trying to extort $200,000 from him.
Both have pleaded not guilty. An interim domestic violence protection order prohibits the pair from going within 100 metres of their older brother or any place he lives or works.
“These matters, I think, can be dealt with between the family. It is a family matter. Today is a display of exactly that,” Sakr said.
