“Doctors’ Plot”: Australian Charges Dropped
- July 27th, 2007
- Posted by EUEditor
On a day when “doctors plot” suspects were due to appear in Court in the United Kingdom, charges against the man at the Australian end of that story, Mohammed Haneef, were dropped.
The Indian doctor from Queensland’s Gold Coast hospital was held in custody for almost a month, 2-27.7.07, eventually being charged with recklessly assisting a terrorist organisation. When given bail by a Brisbane Magistrate he was detained under immigration laws, the Australian government revoking his visa.
Amid public revelations and derision in Australia over mishandling of evidence, prosecutors reviewed the case and announced in court the terrorism charge would be dropped as there’d been a number of errors and the evidence would not be strong enough to obtain a conviction.
They said some investigations would go on, but Dr Haneef was being allowed to return to his Gold Coast home, for “residential detention”, while the suspension of his visa was reviewed. His legal representatives were moving to oppose deportation.
The incident followed the attempted bomb attacks in London and Glasgow, last month; one of the men arrested in the United Kingdom had a telephone SIM card belonging to Dr Haneef.