An alleged terrorist wants secret police data ahead of his trial, claiming there’s no proof he’s a far-right extremist.
An alleged extremist who claims his parents are the ones with “radical beliefs” has made an 11th-hour bid to knock down his terrorism trial, saying there is no evidence he is a neo-Nazi.
On Friday, counsel for Anthony Paul Dobson – who is scheduled to stand trial, without a jury, in two weeks’ time – asked the District Court to release confidential SA Police intelligence about the case.
They said none of the prosecution evidence disclosed ahead of trial amounted to “reasonable suspicion” Mr Dobson was part of the state’s neo-Nazi cell, known as the SA Men’s Health Club.
Without that suspicion, they said, police lacked justification to search Mr Dobson’s address following his arrest in April 2021 – meaning anything seized under that warrant should not be admissible at trial.
Mr Dobson, 25, has pleaded not guilty to charges including possessing extremist material and possessing information regarding explosives.
He was allegedly found with guerilla warfare notes, IRA bomb-making instructions and other “recipes for disaster”.
Mr Dobson is one of a number of club members arrested during a series of raids in 2021, and prosecutors allege he is a “core member” of the organisation.
Read the article by Sean Fewster,