A bikie widow has been released on bail as she stands accused of helping her partner evade police in relation to another crime.
Jade Heffer did not appear at Bankstown Local Court on Thursday, where she faces charges of hindering the apprehension of a person who has committed a serious offence and hindering a police officer in the execution of their duty.
She was granted strict conditional bail in the NSW Supreme Court after spending seven weeks behind bars on remand.
Ms Heffer was arrested after her partner Ahmad Alameddine fled from authorities during a raid of a Greenacre home in south west Sydney, jumping over the back fence of a property in August.
Ms Heffer and Mr Alameddine’s sister Susan, 35, were arrested at a nearby service station.
A court previously heard the women allegedly gave “different and false versions to police” about Mr Alameddine’s whereabouts and “continued to assist him to evade police over ensuing days”.
In addition to the charges relating to protecting her partner, Ms Heffer is also facing charges of acquiring a pistol while subject to a firearm prohibition order and acquiring a firearm without a licence.
She did not appear at Bankstown Local Court on Thursday where her lawyer Oussama Elfawal told the court her bail conditions are so strict she can’t even come to court.
The court was previously told Ms Heffer suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by the violent death of her late husband, Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu, who was gunned down in a Rhodes parking lot.
“Her bail currently reads she is not to leave the premises unless in company and only to attend Bankstown Local Court for a hearing … that means she can’t even come to court for her bail variation,” Mr Elfawal said.
The bail was agreed to by a police prosecutor and varied to allow Ms Heffer to go to court.
Meanwhile, Ms Alameddine sat at the front of the public gallery while her lawyer Ihab Jamal asked the court to vary her bail to change her house arrest to a nightly curfew so she could leave the house and run errands.
The 35-year-old is facing one charge of hindering the apprehension of a person who has committed a serious offence.
Mr Jamal told the court his client is only allowed to leave the house for limited purposes but she needs to take care of young children.
While she usually resides with her mother, Mr Jamal said Ms Alameddine’s mother is currently overseas until March 2024.
“Bail conditions are there to mitigate risks and concerns … her offence is allegedly hindering police but Mr Alameddine is now in custody,” Mr Jamal said.
“They are brother and sister but he has been detained, he’s in custody.”
A police prosecutor opposed the bail variation, despite Mr Jamal having written correspondence from the Officer In Charge of the investigation giving consent.
Magistrate Anthony Spence denied the variation.
Both Ms Alameddine and Ms Heffer are prohibited from contacting each other or Mr Alameddine, who remains in custody on remand.
In August, police raided a Greenacre home in southwestern Sydney where he is accused of jumping the back fence to escape.
He spent more than a month on the run before his arrest in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on September 5, where police allege he was engaged in an intimate act with a woman when he was caught.
He has previously pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing a prohibited drug, resisting an officer in the execution of their duty and entering enclosed land without a lawful excuse.
Mr Alameddine briefly appeared via AVL on Thursday where his matter was adjourned to January 17, 2024.
Neither women have entered a plea to any charges, with their matters being adjourned to December 7 to allow for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to decide whether it will take carriage of the criminal matters.