Overview
- The NSW Local Court, which ruled Thursday, denied a bid to block publication of the names and address of Naveed Akram’s mother, brother and sister for four decades.
- Judge Hugh Donnelly said open justice must guide the case and found any ban would be futile because Akram’s driver’s licence and home address were already online and foreign publishers would not be bound.
- The court noted Akram’s mother had previously spoken to a newspaper and found the relatives are unlikely to be witnesses, so their names and workplaces have little bearing on the criminal proceedings.
- The judge accepted the family has faced harassment, including late‑night visits, death threats, and items like pork and a bottle of suspected urine left at their home, yet ruled the law did not justify long-term secrecy.
- Media outlets including News Corp, Nine, the Guardian and the ABC opposed the order, Akram’s lawyers said they will not appeal, and the 24-year-old remains in custody on 59 charges with the case due back in court in early April.