A middle-aged man accused of a “disgusting” Islamophobic attack on a 13-year-old girl has berated a judge after he was denied bail Omar Yassine made an eventful court appearance on Wednesday after being held by police overnight for allegedly verbally abusing the Muslim schoolgirl on a Sydney bus. Yassine told the court he had “hurled a few insults” at the girl, her friends and someone he thought was a teacher on Thursday but claimed he had not been the instigator. The evidence included a video recorded by the 13-year-old girl on an inner-western Sydney bus showed Yassine calling her a barrage of names, the prosecutor said.
The year 8 student, who was wearing a hijab and her school uniform, was allegedly called a “fucking terrorist” and an “immigrant dog” among other insults in the clip, later shared online. The girl and other passengers reported the tirade to police after getting off the bus at Strathfield station. Officers arrested Yassine at a home in nearby Greenacre after the 13-year-old and her mother went public about the incident on Tuesday.
He was charged with stalking and intimidation with intent to cause fear. In the video, the teen told the man she was born in Australia and reminded him of her young age, but that didn’t stop the alleged abuse. The girl and her mother told the ABC the incident was “really disgusting”.
In court, Yassine repeatedly interrupted the police prosecutor and acting Judge Garry Still. The 50-year-old said he should be released on bail because he would be able to report to police and was not a risk of committing another serious offence. Strathfield state MP Jason Yat-sen Li said he was “horrified and deeply angry” about the alleged incident, while congratulating the teen for speaking up.
Yassine was not required to enter a plea and will return to court at a later date.
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