New video sees Adam Abdallah bailed after allegedly breaking soccer referee Khodr Yaghi’s jaw
Boxer accused of breaking football referee’s jaw in sickening alleged attack has big win in court thanks to new video of incident that ‘changes story’
- Adam Abdallah accused of April attack
- Khodr Yaghi was reportedly seriously injured
- The court saw new video footage on Wednesday
The man who allegedly assaulted a referee during a suburban football match has been released on strict bail after a new video came to light.
Adam Abdallah, 25, received widespread condemnation after a video went viral in late April showing him violently assaulting football official Khodr Yaghi in southwest Sydney.
Abdallah had been in custody since May 1, but was released on bail in NSW High Court on Wednesday.
The prosecution said it was not opposed to his release because a new video of the incident had come to light since Abdallah was initially refused bail.
Prosecutor did not oppose bail for amateur boxer Adam Abdallah (pictured) over new video shown to court on Wednesday
Abdallah is accused of assaulting football referee Khodr Yaghi (pictured) during a match in Sydney in April, leaving him with a badly broken jaw that required reconstructive surgery
“It slightly changes the story of the shortened clip that the media had,” said a lawyer representing the director of the prosecution.
The bail conditions require the amateur boxer to remain in his home at all times unless accompanied by his mother or his wife, who is six months pregnant.
Judge Mark Ierace said the terms effectively restrict Abdallah to “house arrest.”
Since Abdallah has no previous criminal convictions aside from one traffic issue, Judge Ierace said the “alleged behavior seems rather strange.”
Mr Yaghi, 45, underwent reconstructive surgery at a Sydney hospital after the incident broke his jaw in three places and knocked out three teeth.
New footage of the alleged attack (depicted in an earlier video) is longer than the ‘shortened version’ the media first ran with, the court was told
Abdallah (pictured) is so strict on bail that the judge hearing his case on Wednesday compared them to ‘house arrest’
Abdallah was a suspended player for Greenacre Eagles, who withdrew from the remainder of the men’s premier league winter season, pledging to help the local association enforce appropriate sanctions.
NSW Sports Minister Steve Kamper, a former president of the Sydney Olympic Football Club, said he had sought assurances from governing body Football NSW that the strongest possible action would be taken against the alleged attack on Mr Yaghi.
“This is one of the worst attacks I have ever witnessed at any sporting event at any level,” he said in a statement days after the incident.
“This was a disgusting and cowardly attack. It goes without saying that this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable.’
Abdallah will then appear in court on June 28.