SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

NSW: First person charged with disrespectful behaviour in court

A woman has been charged with nine counts of disrespectful behaviour in court after allegedly refusing to stand for a judge in court.

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

The first person in NSW to be charged with "disrespectful behaviour" in court is a Muslim woman who allegedly refused to stand for a Sydney judge in court.

In late 2016, Sydney woman Moutia Elzahed refused to stand for District Court Judge Audrey Balla or remove her veil during a hearing.

On Tuesday, the justice department said Elzahed was issued with court attendance notices for nine counts of "disrespectful behaviour in court".

The NSW law, which makes it an offence for someone to intentionally behave disrespectfully to a court or judge during a case, came into effect in September 2016.

NSW Solicitor-General Michael Sexton said in an earlier statement he had decided against contempt of court proceedings against Elzahed, and instead had authorised proceedings to start under the new disrespectful behaviour in court law.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Elzahed's husband Hamdi Alqudsi was jailed in the Supreme Court in September for arranging seven men to travel to Syria to fight with terrorist groups.

Late last year Elzahed was in Judge Balla's court trying to sue over alleged police violence during a 2014 raid on her family's Revesby house.

She's expected to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on June 15.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world