Kawsar Ahmad: Accused ISIS bride to walk from Melbourne court after bail win
A magistrate has granted bail for a woman charged with slavery offences after allegedly leaving Australia with her family to join Islamic State.
An accused ISIS bride will walk from court after winning her bid for freedom.
Kawsar Ahmad, 54, looked relieved and her supporters gasped as Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan granted her bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday afternoon.
It comes a week after her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, lost her bid for bail in the same court.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The two women were in May charged with slavery offences after they both returned to Australia with other family members of former Islamic State fighters.
Prosecutors allege Kawsar Ahmad migrated to Syria with her husband Mohammed and their children to join IS around January 2015.
It’s alleged while in Syria in 2017, Mohammed bought a teenage girl as a slave and repeatedly raped and assaulted the girl.
Ahmad allegedly agreed to the purchase and treated the girl badly, often threatening her with beatings although she never assaulted the girl herself.
In opposing bail, Detective Senior Constable Marc Clendenning told the court Ahmad was a risk to the community and there were concerns she would spread extremist ideology if released.
Ahmad’s defence barrister Peter Morrissey SC argued his client did not support IS and strict bail conditions including a ban on attending mosques would reduce any alleged risk.
Judge Hannan found the risk was so low that stringent bail conditions could be imposed to protect the community as she granted Ahmad bail.
Ahmad will walk from Melbourne Magistrates Court later on Friday.
