Posted on 08/18/2006 11:32:30 AM PDT by ncountylee
THE families of terror victims have described the decision by an appeals court to release "Jihad" Jack Thomas - the first man jailed under the Howard Government's new terrorism laws - as a farce. A Melbourne court's decision yesterday to quash the conviction of the Muslim convert - who met Osama bin Laden and other al-Qa'ida operatives just months before the September 11 attacks - was embarrassing for the Government and the Australian Federal Police and distressing for families of terror victims.
Although Mr Thomas could face fresh terror charges arising out of an ABC interview conducted in his Melbourne home during the trial and aired after the conviction, Peter Iliffe, the father of a Bali bombing victim, said the decision to free him showed how "disconnected the judiciary was from reality".
And David Byron, who lost his 15-year-old daughter Chloe in Bali, said there should be "zero tolerance" for those accused of terrorism. "I don't know what's happening in this country. I read that another terrorist was released in Indonesia last week because of a holiday."
But the lawyer for Faheem Lodhi, a Sydney man convicted of preparing a terrorist attack, praised the court's decision as "good old-fashioned" justice.
Victorian Court of Appeal judges Chris Maxwell, Frank Vincent and Peter Buchanan overturned the five-year prison term imposed on Mr Thomas for receiving funds from al-Qa'ida and holding a false passport.
The judgment, which found his interview with federal police inadmissable, was received with gasps in a packed courtroom. Mr Thomas, who trained with fellow Australian David Hicks in an al-Qa'ida camp in Afghanistan before being caught in an al-Qa'ida guesthouse in Pakistan run by September 11 planner Rami bin al-Shiha, bowed his head in the dock and wept.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
Speechless!
There are words, but I don't think we can use them on FR!
Stupid law. Alright, if the Ozzies can't hold him, we will.
Thank You Sir May I Have Another!
It's cold comfort to see the judicial system of other countries may be as screwed-up as ours.
(Mr Thomas repeatedly insisted "I certainly ain't a big fish" and said he was desperate to return home to his family. In deciding whether to co-operate with police, he said: "I'm no lawyer ... I've got no bloody idea what I should do.
"The only thing I can think of is to pray again and ask if it's, if it's the right thing to do because I have no legal experience, I'm dumb, I'm totally in the wilderness here.")
I'm just a caveman. Frozen many years ago. Your ways confuse me. But I know one thing for sure: Jihad!
But the lawyer for Faheem Lodhi, a Sydney man convicted of preparing a terrorist attack, praised the court's decision as "good old-fashioned" justice.
Apparently, his lawyer has no idea of what "good old-fashioned justice" really is. I suspect that Faheem, failing to GTF outta Dodge quickly, will find out in short order.
ETA, I mean "Thomas", not "Faheem".
Unless the Aussie courts screw the pooch on this one, as well.
The turd and his attorney need some "out back" time.
Time to bring "Star Chambers" into use -- throughout the still free world...
There comes a time, when the people need to take control of their destiny......
The feckless imbeciles in positions of power, have screwed things up so badly -- they're incapable of correcting the mess they created.
Semper fi
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