Bondi Beach gunman Naveed Akram has sought suppression and non-publication orders on the identities of his mother and siblings over concerns for their safety.
The 24-year-old faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist attack, for the December shooting.
The accused is in custody but did not appear on screen when the matter was mentioned in a Sydney court on Monday, where public defender Richard Wilson made the application on behalf of his client.
Magistrate Greg Grogin suggested the defendant’s mother’s name had already been widely published and asked: “Hasn’t the horse already been shot?”
Fifteen people were killed and dozens more were injured in the December 14 shooting. (ABC News: Monish Nand)
But Wilson said there would be “continued interest” in the family and he would present evidence of “things that have already happened” to illustrate very real concerns for the family’s safety.
A lawyer for News Corp Australia, who was present in the courtroom, said his client would likely oppose the application to suppress their names, residential addresses and places of work, saying there was a “very high threshold” for non-publication orders to be granted on security grounds.
Magistrate Grogin granted interim non-publication orders, telling the court: “It would appear on the face of it that there is absolutely no reason why the relatives of the accused, Naveed Akram, should put their lives at stake, whether in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia or now, indeed, in the world.”
He also noted that such orders could not prevent international media from publishing the names.
The matter will be heard again in court next week.
Naveed Akram’s mother spoke briefly to members of the media.
Naveed Akram’s father, Sajid Akram, was killed by police during the Bondi shooting on December 14, which took place during a Jewish event, Hanukkah by the Sea, in Archer Park.
Fifteen innocent people were killed and dozens more injured.