Arabic version: توقّع تأجيل محاكمة ممرضين سابقين في سيدني إلى عام 2027

According to ABC News, the criminal trial of former Bankstown Hospital nurses Sarah Abu Lebdeh and Ahmad Rashad Nadir is expected to be delayed, potentially until 2027, following the late submission of expert evidence concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The pair had been due to stand trial on August 31 over allegations they made menacing comments towards Israeli patients. They have each pleaded not guilty to using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend.

Mr Nadir’s lawyer, Zemarai Khatiz, said the trial was vacated on Thursday after the Crown served a report by Middle East analyst Dr Rodger Shanahan. Mr Khatiz said the additional material was dated May 31 but was provided to the defence on August 5, leaving insufficient time to assess it before trial.

The defence intends to obtain its own expert to address issues raised in the report, a process Mr Khatiz said could take two to three months. Dr Shanahan is also expected to be called as a witness. The case will return to Parramatta District Court on August 21, when a new trial date is expected to be set.

The charges followed a video filmed by Israeli content creator Max Ilinsky, known online as Max Veifer, on the cam-chat app Chatroulette. The video drew international attention after emerging in February 2025. Both nurses were sacked following the incident, and the video was ruled admissible last month after previously being excluded on privacy-law grounds.