A man convicted over an assault on a gay couple has been released from custody after successfully appealing his sentence, in a case that has also drawn attention over his alleged links to the Islamic State.
Yaqoob Benshabir, 20, whose uncle was Khaled Sharrouf, one of Australia’s most notorious IS members, pleaded guilty over an attack on a gay couple at Wynyard Walk in Sydney’s CBD in February 2024.
The group reportedly shouted homophobic slurs after seeing the pair kiss, before one of the men was repeatedly punched.
A co-offender is alleged to have filmed the attack and shared it online.
Benshabir was originally sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, but successfully appealed the severity of that sentence in April.
He was released on a conditional release order after spending roughly eight months in custody.
Prosecutors had sought supervision orders that would have given authorities additional powers to monitor him, but those orders were not granted at that stage.
According to Australia’s Daily Telegraph, court hearings heard that police had allegedly found material on Benshabir’s phone, said to express support for Islamic State.
Benshabir was charged by the Australian Federal Police with a violent extremism-related offence, but that charge was later withdrawn.
He currently faces no terrorism or extremism charges.
An application for an extended supervision order remains before the courts.
The case has renewed attention on the safety of LGBTQ+ people in public spaces, as well as the legal response to alleged hate-motivated violence.
