Latest news with #Elsternwick
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- News.com.au
Dramatic CCTV footage shows synagogue arson in Melbourne
Counter-terrorism authorities have released dramatic CCTV footage and images of suspects believed to be responsible for the politically motivated arson attack on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne late last year. The Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) is appealing for public assistance to identify the individuals involved or anyone connected to a blue 2020 VW Golf sedan believed to have been used in the attack. The footage, captured on December 6, 2024, shows the blue Golf driving past the Elsternwick synagogue multiple times before parking outside the main entrance. Three masked individuals wearing hoodies are then seen exiting the vehicle, using an axe to break into the synagogue. At least two of the offenders are captured on CCTV pouring the contents of red jerry cans inside the entrance and returning to the car to retrieve more. The flammable liquid was then ignited, and the group fled in the Golf, heading towards Melbourne's western suburbs. The ultra-Orthodox temple was firebombed and significantly damaged about 4am on Friday December 6.' Two worshippers were in the temple at the time. Millions of dollars of holy texts, handwritten Torah scrolls, artefacts and furniture were destroyed or badly damaged. The vehicle, which was stolen and bore cloned number plates, has since been recovered by police. Investigators say it was also used in other serious crimes across the city, including the Lux nightclub arson in South Yarra in November 2024, and a shooting and arson in Bundoora on the same night as the synagogue attack. While the other incidents are being investigated by Victoria Police and are not considered politically motivated, the synagogue fire remains a terrorism matter. AFP Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command Stephen Nutt said officers had examined CCTV from more than 1400 locations to track the alleged offenders. 'We believe there are multiple offenders directly and indirectly linked to the synagogue arson, and our terrorism investigation into their actions continues,' he said. 'I remind those involved that the penalty for terrorism is life imprisonment. It is just a matter of time before police knock on your door. It is in your interest to come forward now. 'This is no normal crime and that is why it is being investigated by the JCTT with the full force and capability of Victoria Police, the AFP and ASIO. Do not stay silent, come forward. 'Based on the information we have, we suspect some of the individuals involved are extremely violent.' Assistant Commissioner Nutt said investigators were pursuing all leads and thanked both the Jewish and wider Victorian communities for their support and assistance. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner for Counter Terrorism Command Tess Walsh said the investigation had been a top priority over the past five months. 'This was an attack that impacted Victorians' feeling of safety and left people feeling deeply shocked, saddened and rightly concerned,' she said. She said both the JCTT and specialist detectives, including the Arson and Explosives Squad, had been working to uncover not only who carried out the attack but who planned it and why. 'Today has provided us with a breakthrough in the Lux nightclub arson investigation and we are now in a position to publicly confirm that we believe the vehicle used in that incident is the same as the synagogue fire, as well as many other incidents of significant criminality such as shootings and aggravated burglaries across Melbourne,' she said. Assistant Commissioner Walsh said the blue VW Golf sedan was a crucial link in the investigation and urged the public to help identify who had used it and what they were involved in. 'We need assistance from the public as we attempt to identify those who have been using this vehicle and what they have been involved in, and we know there are people out there who can supply this information. Any small detail could be crucial.' She said it was time for people with information to come forward and warned of the potentially deadly consequences of such reckless behaviour. 'We have said many times before; it is only luck that stands between a fire that damages a property and a fire that kills dozens of people. Fire is absolutely uncontrollable, and the sheer recklessness of this offending cannot be tolerated.' She reassured the Jewish community that police remained committed to tracking down those responsible. 'I understand that it can be difficult when these matters take time, but again, make no mistake that this investigation remains a key priority for Victoria Police and the AFP and we are dedicated to bringing it to a successful conclusion as soon as possible.' The public is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or the National Security Hotline on 1800 123 400 if they recognise anyone in the CCTV footage or have information about the vehicle or the individuals involved. Reports can also be made confidentially online.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Malka Leifer: The cushy life a rapist headmistress enjoys behind bars is revealed - as her victims lash their abuser's 'shocking' prison perks
The former headmistress of a prestigious Melbourne school who was jailed for raping two of her students has reportedly been receiving special treatment behind bars. Malka Leifer, 58, ran the Adass Israel School in Elsternwick, which caters to the city's ultra-orthodox Jewish community, but fled back to Israel in 2008 after the allegations against her first arose. Following a lengthy process to extradite her to Australia to stand trial, she was jailed for 15 years in 2023 for the rape and indecent assault of Melbourne sisters Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper. A former inmate of the maximum security Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, in the outer Melbourne suburb of Deer Park, has now claimed Leifer is receiving perks other prisoners do not get while she is held in the protection unit. 'Malka has a microwave in her room, cooking equipment, gets special orders every Thursday,' she told 'She wanted an airfryer and had members of the Jewish community write authorities about it. She gets whatever she wants.' The former inmate also said she is allowed to make challah, a special bread that is often baked for the Jewish Sabbath observed every Saturday. One of her victims, Elly Sapper, was appalled to hear of the perks Leifer was getting. 'To hear that she's doing this brings back so much of the way she acted in court which was no remorse and arrogance. It kind of brings out this anger again. It's shocking,' she said. According to the former inmate, Leifer is disliked by other prisoners because of her arrogance. She previously claimed Leifer was in a relationship with conwoman Samantha Azzopardi, 36, who was jailed for fraudulently claiming compensation by posing as a sex trafficked 17-year-old from Belgium known as Hattie Leigh. She alleged the pair would write each other notes and often spend time in a laundry area where there is no CCTV. Leifer targeted the sisters between 2004 and 2007 when they were students and later in their first year as student teachers. The offending occurred while the headmistress was aged between 37 and 41 while Ms Erlich was aged between 16 and 19 and Ms Sapper aged 17 and 18. The sisters previously welcomed the sentence but said it would never be enough. 'The ruling of 15 years recognises the harm and pain that Malka Leifer caused each one of us to suffer over so many years,' Ms Sapper said. 'While no amount of years will ever be sufficient, we are relieved that Malka Leifer is now in prison for 15 years and cannot prey on anyone else.' The sisters campaigned for years to bring Leifer to justice and Ms Erlich said it was because they had not given up that they were successful. 'While we know the onus of fighting for justice should not be up to survivors, this fight was never just for us,' she said.
