Anti-crime crusader Fadi Abdul-Rahman has been accused of bashing his estranged wife “black and blue” at her Yagoona home.
Muslim leader Abdul-Rahman, who featured at Kevin Rudd’s 2020 Summit in 2008 and has been a fighter for justice in western Sydney, was charged with assaulting his wife on February 6.
Despite being the alleged victim, Abdul-Rahman’s wife is now wedged between her religion, her husband and the NSW legal system after a Sydney court threatened to arrest her if she refused to give evidence when her husband’s case next appears in court.
The ex-boxer screamed “f ... ... let me in”, ripped a door security screen, forced his way into the house, and bashed his wife of 16 years, leaving her with two black eyes, court documents said.
Abdul-Rahman is charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, aggravated break and enter and home invasion, and will face a committal hearing next month.
Lawyer Brett Galloway said Abdul-Rahman will defend the matter and has no case to answer
Abdul-Rahman, 35, became a prominent figure for his work in steering Lebanese youth away from a life of crime, and was the subject of SBS and ABC TV documentaries.
Court documents said on the night of the alleged assault, Mrs Abdul-Rahman spoke to police. An officer asked her “who did this to you?” and she replied: “My husband.”
The officer then told her: “I cannot help you without the truth in what happened”.
Mrs Abdul-Rahman has refused to make a formal statement after speaking to her mosque’s sheik and to family members, court documents said. Police have made several further unsuccessful approaches to Mrs Abdul-Rahman.
In Burwood Local Court on June 28, magistrate Michael Connell ordered that if Mrs Abdul-Rahman does not appear in court on July 8 he “may consider” issuing an arrest warrant.
Court documents said police, called to the house by neighbours, found Mrs Abdul-Rahman with bruised eyes.
Police allege Abdul-Rahman went into a “rage” when his wife told him to “go away”, court documents said.
An officer at the house viewed a mobile phone which received a text message that said: “It’s OK to answer your phone. Make sure (Mrs Abdul-Rahman) is not talking”, court documents said.
The matter will return to court on August 6.