Ayman Manly: NSW Courts order accused killer to submit hourly after ankle monitor ban

The NSW bail system has been thrown into turmoil, with an accused killer ordered to send NSW Police a selfie every hour of the day under extraordinary new bail conditions.

In a move senior police have labelled “bizarre”, Ayman Manly was last week directed by NSW Supreme Court Justice Richard Weinstein to purchase a new Apple iPhone for the officer in charge of his murder case and submit a photo of himself every hour between 8am and 8pm.

The orders come as the Minns Government phases out the use of ankle monitoring bracelets by September 12, after a private monitoring firm shut down without telling police, courts or ministers.

Manly is among dozens of accused offenders having their bail reviewed before the deadline.

Opposition police spokesperson Paul Toole blasted the selfie requirement, calling it “dangerous” and telling the Daily Telegraph: “To be frank, this is bulls**t. To think selfies can be a form of bail is mind boggling and just does not pass the pub test.”

Manly, who has pleaded not guilty to murder, has been on bail since January under strict conditions including virtual house arrest and a $5 million surety.

With his bracelet soon to be removed, he must now keep his phone on him at all times, ensure tracking settings such as Find My iPhone remain active, and send hourly photos to the case officer.

The court order states: “The Applicant is to transmit a photo of himself every hour between 8AM and 8PM (inclusive) on a daily basis … at 8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm and 8pm.”

Not all accused criminals with ankle monitors are being offered similar alternatives. Earlier this month, alleged drug manufacturer Kalid Kaddour had his bail revoked after Justice Desmond Fagan ruled that the impending end of his bracelet made him a greater “flight risk”.

“He (Kaddour) must be aware that on that date (the September deadline) he would be in breach and would likely be returned to custody if in the meantime he cannot secure continuance of bail on terms that do not include monitoring,” Justice Desmond Fagan ruled.

“The risk of flight is immediately exacerbated by this change of circumstances.”

Attorney-General Michael Daley said “transitional arrangements” and “risk assessments” had been underway since the decision to end private monitoring in March.

“To date two-thirds of these defendants have had their bail conditions reviewed by a court and the remainder are expected to be back in front of a magistrate or judge before the cut-off date of 12 September 2025,” Mr Daley said.

“Where the judicial officer reviewing the bail conditions considered it appropriate the defendants have been remanded in custody.”