Melbourne Tram Attack Suspect Abuses Court System
An Iraqi national accused of a random stabbing on a Melbourne tram made a brief court appearance, during which he was verbally abused by an online commenter.
Jahangir Sharifabadi, 37, appeared in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, facing charges including reckless conduct endangering serious injury, intentionally causing injury, and assault with a weapon. He is accused of stabbing a 51-year-old woman in the neck with a fork on a tram near Kings Way in South Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon. The woman was reportedly carrying a chihuahua at the time of the alleged unprovoked attack.
Sharifabadi, described as homeless and disheveled, appeared in court wearing the same clothing he was arrested in. A Persian interpreter assisted him during the brief hearing, where it was revealed he was already on bail at the time of the alleged offense. His court-appointed lawyer stated Sharifabadi suffers from schizophrenia and requested a custody nurse to examine him. The lawyer also asked for him to be transferred to the Melbourne Assessment Prison for better medical care.
Sharifabadi made no application for bail and is scheduled to appear in court again later this month via video link. As he was being removed from the virtual courtroom, an unseen individual logged into the video link taunted Sharifabadi, calling him a "f***ing dog." Magistrate Darcy Dempsey did not acknowledge the abusive interjection and proceeded to the next case.
Witnesses reported seeing the alleged attacker surrender to police after they drew their weapons. Celeste Hall told the Herald Sun that the policeman raised his gun, and the accused raised his hands. Fellow witness Liz Oxenbury saw the alleged victim being helped from the tram with her dog, noting the woman appeared distraught. A Yarra Trams spokeswoman confirmed a fork was believed to be the weapon used. The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
This incident is the latest in a series of alleged stabbings across Melbourne in recent weeks, including a man allegedly stabbed while trying to stop a break-in, a teenage girl involved in a stabbing brawl, and a mother allegedly stabbed outside police headquarters.