First person charged over Wakeley riot after Sydney church stabbing attack granted bail
The first person arrested and charged for taking part in the Wakeley riots was granted bail after appearing at Blacktown local court on Thursday. .
Dani Mansour, 19, was charged with riot, affray and destroying or damaging property as part of the mob that allegedly attacked police in Wakeley on Monday night. The incident took place in the aftermath of the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church.
Mansour was granted strict bail conditions at Blacktown local court on Thursday, including a ban on accessing social media.
He must present his phone to police once a week, cannot contact anyone involved in the riot, can only travel to and from work, cannot enter Wakeley, cannot attend the church, and he must report to police every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The court heard Mansour allegedly filmed himself smashing two police vehicles and taking part in the riot, posting the footage to his personal Instagram page.
The 19-year-old told the court he is a barber who works in Mt Druitt, and is the sole provider for his family, who attended his court proceedings.
Police prosecutor Sgt Reuben van der Byl told the court investigators had depended on the footage as part of their investigation into Mansour.
Van der Byl also said police had concerns Mansour could reoffend and pose a risk to community safety.
An estimated 2,000 people descended on the church in the wake of the alleged stabbing attack, damaging 94 police vehicles and leaving 26 officers injured, according to police.
Police told the court they were combing through social media footage of the riot as part of their investigation, and were concerned Mansour’s release and potential communication with other rioters could hamper their efforts.
Mansour was told by the magistrate, Aaron Tang, that he was charged with “serious and violent” behaviour, but Tang said he was satisfied concerns for community safety and any chance of reoffending were mitigated by the restrictions.
Related: Sydney church stabbing: how an alleged attack on a firebrand preacher reignited tensions
Tang described the rioters as wanting to enact “vigilante justice” on the alleged attacker being held in the church, saying they acted “reprehensibly”.
“There is no place for vigilante justice in our society. Whilst the court acknowledges the traumatic impact of the stabbing of the bishop on the church community, those involved in the riot acted reprehensibly.
“The actions of the alleged rioters were at odds with helping the bishop and of the tenets of Christian faith.”
Earlier on Thursday, the NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, urged community members to help police identify some of the rioters after she revealed some of them wore masks during the violence.
“People in the community know who they are, their families know who they are, and we need to know who they are,” Webb said.
“We have some people that have jumped on multiple police cars. One individual has a very distinctive tattoo on his torso of a face, while he has cowardly hid his own face.”
Webb said 42 detectives were working to identify 50 people from the 2,000 that were present.
“The sooner they are identified [and] put before the court, the sooner they can be dealt with.”
Webb also said the alleged offender behind the stabbing attack remained in hospital, and that police investigations are ongoing.
Mansour’s hearing will be held on 2 May.
