'Eleventh hour' expert submission delays former Sydney nurses' trial
Posted , updated
Ahmed Rashad Nadir and Sarah Abu Lebdeh have pleaded not guilty to using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend. (ABC News: Jamie McKinnell)
In short:
Last-minute expert evidence will delay the trial of two former Sydney nurses accused of threatening Israeli patients.
A lawyer for one of the former nurses says the report from Middle East analyst Dr Rodger Shanahan was provided on August 5.
What's next?
The pair were due in court on August 31, but the matter will be heard at Parramatta District Court next week where a new trial date will be set.
The criminal trial of two former Sydney nurses accused of making menacing comments towards Israeli patients is expected to be delayed until next year, after a dispute over expert testimony on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Bankstown Hospital nurses Sarah Abu Lebdeh and Ahmad Rashad Nadir were due to stand trial on August 31, but the date will now likely be pushed back after an "eleventh hour" submission of expert evidence.
A report from Dr Rodger Shanahan has been submitted at the last minute. (ABC News)
Mr Nadir's lawyer, Zemarai Khatiz, said the trial was vacated on Thursday after the Crown served an expert report compiled by Middle East analyst Rodger Shanahan at the last minute.
"The additional brief material was dated May 31 and provided to us on August 5," Mr Khatiz said.
He said the defence had not had enough time to properly assess the report before it would be used as evidence and would need time to secure its own expert.
"We have to obtain our expert in order to address the matters in the report," he said.
"It will probably take between two and three months for us to obtain our own expert."
Dr Shanahan is also expected to be called as a witness at the trial.
Mr Khatiz (right) says they received the additional material on August 5. (ABC News: Simon Amery)
New trial date to be set
Ms Abu Lebdeh and Mr Nadir were charged after Israeli content creator Max Ilinsky, who goes by Max Veifer online, filmed the pair allegedly making threats against Israeli patients at Bankstown Hospital.
The video was filmed on the cam-chat app Chatroulette and drew international attention when it emerged in February 2025.
Both nurses have pleaded not guilty and were sacked following the incident.
The video was ruled admissible last month after previously being excluded on the grounds it was improperly obtained and breached privacy laws.
The matter will next be heard in Parramatta District Court on August 21, when a new trial date is expected to be set.
"It is anticipated that new trial will take place sometime in 2027," Mr Khatiz said.
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