A VICTORIAN Supreme Court jury today found the 32-year-old Werribee man guilty of one count of intentionally receiving funds from al-Qaeda. Jack Thomas was found not guilty of two counts of intentionally providing resources to al-Qaeda. He also was found guilty of possessing a false Thomas faces a maximum 25 years' jail for receiving funds from al-Qaeda and two years' prison, or a $5,000 fine, for the passport offence. His wife Maryati and parents Patsy and Ian held hands as the verdict was read out after the week-long trial presided over by Justice Philip Cummins.
Thomas was the first Australian to be charged under new terror funding laws and the fifth charged under anti-terror legislation passed by federal parliament in October 2002, following the September 11 attacks in the United States. Osama bin Laden associate Khaled bin Attash gave Thomas $US3,500 ($4,740) and a plane ticket home from Pakistan.
During the trial, the Crown alleged Thomas had struck a deal with bin Attash to be a sleeper agent in Australia for bin Laden. Thomas left Australia for Pakistan on March 23, 2001, and returned home on June 6, 2003.
The Crown alleged Thomas had a Pakistani visa which had been altered to make it appear as if he had only been in the region for two weeks, instead of two-and-a-half years. His barrister Lex Lasry QC said Thomas planned to use the money bin Attash gave him to help his family and not for terrorism. He said the case against his client was based on guilt by association and branded it a "trophy trial" for the Australian Federal Police.
Outside the court, Rob Stary, a lawyer for Thomas, said it was a win that his client had been cleared of the most serious charge of providing himself as a resource to al Qaeda. "The fact that Jack Thomas has been acquitted of ... supporting a terrorist organisation or being a resource for a terrorist organisation, which were the ... most-serious charges in our view, is a very significant victory," Mr Stary told reporters.
Thomas's father Ian said he and his wife Patsy would continue to support their son. "As we have always known, Jack had nothing to answer for with these charges," he said. "We are very pleased with the jury, we thank the jury and the acquittal has been a great victory.
Thomas's wife Maryati said the couple's three young children longed to have their father home. "He is missing his kids very much." She said she would tell the children their father loves them very much and he was looking forward to seeing them soon.
| Um, guys, he's guilty and he's going to be a while before he sees the kiddies. |