A photographer allegedly stole the camera equipment of one of the victims of the Bondi beach gun attack before pawning it days after the mass shooting that claimed 15 lives.
The man, 35, was arrested and charged on Wednesday after police raided his home in Sydney’s western suburbs and seized a camera, handcuffs and electronic devices.
Police allege the man stole the equipment belonging to Peter Meagher, a retired police officer and photographer, who was working at the Hanukkah event and killed after two gunmen allegedly opened fire on the crowd.
The accused was also working as a photographer at the event, police said. He was granted strict conditional bail and will appear in court next month.
The man was charged with various offences including larceny, disposing of stolen property, possessing or using a prohibited weapon without a permit, and supply and possession of a prohibited drug.
Earlier this year, Meagher’s wife Virginia made an appeal on social media for the return of her husband’s missing camera.
“It is now apparent that someone, other than a known authority, picked up his camera from Archer Park,” she wrote on Facebook in March.
“I would very much like to have his camera returned.”
Separately, two of the brothers of Bondi hero Ahmed Al Ahmed have been charged over allegations they threatened Ahmed and tried to extort money from him.
Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian shop owner, was labelled a hero after he tackled one of the gunmen Sajid Akram during the attack on 14 December, wrestling a gun from him.
Ahmed was shot several times as he tried to stop the attack, his actions triggering a wave of support that resulted in a fundraiser collecting more than AU$2.5m ($1.8m; £1.2m) for him.
Earlier this month, Ahmed – who has undergone several surgeries on his arm since he was shot – went to police to report that his brothers Hozifa al Ahmed and Sameh al Ahmed had threatened him, demanding a slice of the donations he had received.
The two brothers appeared in court on Wednesday to face charges of using a carriage service to harass or offend.
Court documents claim that Ahmed’s two brothers moved to Australia after the shooting and moved in with him.
ReutersAhmed moved to another property when the relationship between the siblings broke down, the court documents showed.
On 7 May, Hozifa is alleged to have phone Ahmed, threatening him.
“I will put your head under my boot, break your other arm, and smash your face. We will only leave if you give us $100,000 each,” Hozifa allegedly said.
Shortly after, the other brother Sameh is alleged to have called Ahmed, to make a similar demand.
“If you want peace of mind and to be safe, you will give us $100,000 each,” Sameh said, according to the court documents.
Both the brothers pleaded not guilty and are due back in court in July.
The pair were also issued with interim apprehended domestic violence orders, meaning they must stay away from Ahmed.
