News

Bondi Shooting Gunman Faces Court For The First Time

Shivangi

Feb 16, 2026 6:20 PM IST

Category News

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Synopsis

Naveed Akram, 24, from the south coast town of Nowra was seen by video link in a Sydney court on Monday facing 59 charges including 15 counts of murder and terror offences. The charges stem from the horrific mass shooting on December 14 at a Hanukkah party in Bondi Beach. Akram’s lawyers said it was premature to enter a plea while they await the prosecution's brief of evidence. Since then Akram has been held in a high-security jail and his case has now been adjourned until April as the legal process grinds on.

Naveed Akram, faced Sydney’s Central Local Court via video link on Monday on 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder, after the shooting at Bondi Beach on December 14. The 24-year-old is accused of attacking a Hanukkah celebration with his father, who was killed at the scene. His lawyer said the defence required the brief of evidence, and Akram’s case was adjourned and now he is remanded in maximum security custody until April.

• The Dec. 14 mass shooting occurred at a Jewish Hanukkah party in Sydney.
• The accused Naveed Akram appeared in court for the first time.
• Lawyers for the defence say that it is premature to plead as legal proceedings get underway.
• The suspect has been held in maximum-security detention after the holiday rampage was not his first deadly attack.

A man charged over one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings has faced court in Sydney for the first time, telling the judge his lawyer was sick. Naveed Akram, 24, is accused of shooting up a Jewish Hanukkah party at the world-famous Bondi Beach last December that killed 15 and injured many more. There was another sombre chapter for a crime-weary city still reeling from the violence that had shattered the tranquillity of the world-famous coastal suburb.

Wearing prison greens, Akram appeared on screen from the Goulburn Correctional Centre in southwest Sydney for his hearing. The defendant, in standard prison greens, uttered few words during the hearing. His only words were to note that he could hear the court discussion about extending the present orders prohibiting publications, which prevent specific victims’ identities or explanations from being published.

Akram’s charges are numerous, 59 in total, which is reflective of the scale of this tragedy. Those include 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder and one count of a terrorist act. Police accused Akram of perpetrating the attack with his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was shot dead by responding officers at the scene the day of the incident.

Defence lawyer Ben Archbold told media outside the court his client was holding up as well as he can be given the tough environment within a high-security remand unit. The legal process is at a very early stage, Archbold said, adding that he has not yet spoken in depth with his client about the attack. He was very professional about it and stressed that all people deserve representation regardless of what they are accused of doing.

Asked whether Howden, 24, would indicate how he planned to plead, Archbold said it was a " much too early date” for that. The defence is now awaiting the serving of the prosecution’s brief of evidence before being in a position to advise on case direction. “We’re literally just getting the process going right now,” Archbold told reporters, noting that personal beliefs should not challenge professional commitments in such high-stakes cases.

The case has been postponed until April when the court is likely to have updates on evidence and how far the prosecution of witnesses has progressed. In the meantime, Akram is being held in Goulburn jail. The country’s enmity for the gunman and his crime remains high, as a solemn legal process slowly turns to the task of paying back for an attack that has indelibly scarred Australia.

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