EXCLUSIVE
She may be known as the glamorous girlfriend of Australia’s once most wanted man, but long before Jade Heffer became entangled in Sydney’s underworld, she was a small-town country girl who worked as a butcher at Coles to make ends meet. to come.
And now the two-time gangster WAG is returning to her roots after being released on bail on Thursday on the condition she live with her parents in her home town of Barham, in regional south-west NSW.
Heffer, 28, was arrested on August 4 after allegedly obstructing police who came to her partner Ahmad ‘Alan’ Alameddine’s home in Greenacre, western Sydney, to check his compliance with a firearms ban.
Alameddine, 33, is believed to have escaped and spent a month on the run while Heffer remained in prison – until he was arrested on September 6 after being picked up for having sex with another woman in a ramshackle unit in South Coogee.
Heffer, who was briefly married to Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu before he was shot dead in front of her in June 2022, faced the NSW Supreme Court on Wednesday via video link from Dillwynia women’s prison, in Sydney’s northwest.
Jade Heffer is pictured with her late husband, Lone Wolf bikie Yusuf Nazlioglu
Ahmad Alameddine (pictured) was taken into custody on Tuesday after officers arrested him for having sex with another woman in a back room of the South Coogee flat
Jade Heffer is seen leaving the Dillwynia Women’s Correctional Center on Thursday
Dressed in prison greens and with her blond hair in a braid, Heffer – who converted to Islam after her husband’s death – sat with a small book in hand, occasionally adjusting her large, gold-rimmed glasses.
The court heard Heffer’s mother Leanne and her partner had made the more than eight-hour drive from their home in the Riverina region to attend the hearing.
Judge Natalie Adams read out Heffer’s bail application, noting that Heffer was charged with obstructing police before admitting to handling a firearm that Alameddine allegedly had in his possession, despite being subject to a firearms ban.
Judge Adams said Heffer had no criminal history other than a driving charge and that the fact Alameddine was in custody “reduced the risk” of her being released on bail as her main (alleged) offense was aiding an escape.
“She grew up in a country town, moved to Melbourne and then to Sydney,” Judge Adams said.
‘She got married in Sydney and saw her husband shot in front of her eyes.
‘She then re-established a relationship with someone who allegedly had ties to another criminal gang, just like her ex-husband.
“(If you read this psychology report) it appears she is suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), which is not surprising.”
Jade Heffer is depicted in her younger years, before she found fame with her back-to-back relationships with Sydney gangsters
The country girl, from Barham in south-west NSW, used to work at Coles
Heffer is pictured receiving the Badged Umpire of the Year award from the Central Murray Football Netball League circa 2011
Heffer is depicted in her hometown during her younger years
Heffer is depicted on a night out with friends in his early twenties
Heffer’s attorney presented Judge Adams with a list of proposed bail conditions, noting that some changes would need to be made to the proposed daily reporting hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
He said this was because his legal team had been unable to find out the opening hours of Barham police station as their multiple calls to the police station had gone unanswered.
The prosecutor said he had “doubts” about the location and suggested that Heffer should report to a police station in one of the larger towns nearby, such as Deniliquin or Moama.
Although Judge Adams admitted there were concerns that Heffer might want to assist Alameddine “in his activities”, she said the risk was mitigated by the “strong” circumstances and that she could report to Deniliquin Police by telephone as Barham Police Station was closed.
Judge Adams granted bail and ordered Heffer to refrain from approaching or communicating with prosecution witnesses, including Alameddine.
She is not allowed to leave the house unless she is accompanied by her mother Leanne or father Brian, makes a police report, goes to court, meets her lawyers or receives medical treatment.
She must also surrender her passport to police, not go within 1000 meters of an Australian departure point, live alone in her mother or father’s home and not own more than one phone or SIM card.
Heffer is depicted wearing a long white dress and gloves for a formal event during her younger years
She will return to her hometown after being granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday
Heffer was known in her hometown as a talented athlete and received several sports awards in her teenage years
The court heard Heffer later moved to Melbourne and then Sydney where she married her late husband
Alameddine’s sister Susan was also granted bail in the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday after she was arrested at the same time as Heffer and accused of obstructing police in their attempt to arrest her brother.
The siblings’ relatives were seen outside the Dillwynia Women’s Correctional Center on Thursday, where they met Susan when she was released.
As Heffer prepares to return to the countryside, photos have emerged of her very different past life in her hometown, where she was praised for her athletic prowess.
During her childhood, the former fitness instructor took part in a number of sports, including netball and tennis.
While attending Barham High School, she won Sportswoman of the Year twice – in 2009 and 2011 – and also claimed the Central Murray Football League’s Badged Umpire of the Year trophy.
Photos posted online show that Heffer worked at Coles in her early years, spent time at university and enjoyed going to the races with friends.
Her family are highly respected members of the Barham community, which has a population of just 1,518 people.
Heffer’s grandmother Marj Ryland is the CEO and managing director of the local Bendigo Bank Agency, her mother Leanne has been treasurer of the city’s Anglican Church for 27 years and her father Brian runs an engineering company.
Her case will appear at Burwood Local Court on September 27.
Susan Alameddine (in the blue tracksuit) is pictured leaving the Dillwynia Women’s Correctional Center on Thursday
Susan Alameddine is seen inhaling a vape and holding a bottle of V Energy as she walked out of prison wearing a gray tracksuit with her hair in tight braids
In the days following her husband’s death, Heffer dramatically changed the nature of her social media posts, sharing photos of herself in a hijab and scripts from the Quran.