Sydney offender denied parole again after judge labels case a miscarriage of justice

Mohommed Farhat, 22, was convicted for writing "Fuk Israel" on cars and setting one ablaze in Woollahra, then sentenced to ten months in prison. After serving that term, a rare intervention by Commissioner Gary McMahon led the New South Wales parole authority to postpone his scheduled December parole, arguing the conduct reflected extremist, antisemitic motives. Justice Desmond Fagan of the Supreme Court later ruled the case amounted to a serious miscarriage of justice, noting Farhat’s limited intellect, the insignificance of any terrorism risk, and that the graffiti was a curse against a foreign state, not antisemitic.

Despite the judge’s criticism, the parole board, five months after a March hearing, denied Farhat’s release, rejecting his explanation that he was paid for the act and refusing to consider the counter-terrorism police assessment that he lacked ideological motivation. The board’s decision cited a deep-seated extremist ideology of an antisemitic character. The case has drawn criticism from Greens MP Sue Higginson and prompted the attorney general, Michael Daley, to seek advice on appealing the board’s ruling.