Simon Fleming Wiki – Simon Fleming Biography
Simon Fleming was arrested and charged with six offenses after he allegedly shot at bystanders and then barricaded himself inside a dive shop in Windang, south Wollongong, around 9:30 a.m. on November 28, 2021. A man who faced terrorism charges after allegedly firing a hail of bullets into the air and taking two hostages has been acquitted on mental health grounds.
A jury acquitted him of a single terrorism charge at Parramatta Magistrate Court on Tuesday after weeks of legal arguments surrounding his history of mental health problems. The court was told that Fleming had left his home in Windang with two weapons, a rifle and a gel blaster, a fake bomb, and a manifesto on a USB stick titled ‘The Fuse’.
He then fired at a passing vehicle and into the air, puncturing a roof 2.8 km away. He also briefly held two people hostage in the store for about an hour before turning himself in to heavily armed police. No one was injured in the accident.
Simon Fleming Age
Simon Fleming is 41 years old.
Simon Fleming Arrested – Cleared of terrorism charges
His defense team of attorney Aaron Kernaghan and attorney Leah Rowan had maintained that Fleming was mentally ill during the incident. Judge Helen Wilson ordered the jury Tuesday to return an acquittal on the felony charges after days of legal wrangling between Fleming’s legal team and Crown’s prosecution.
“There is no question that Mr. Fleming was seriously psychiatrically ill that day,” Judge Wilson told the jury. She ruled that the evidence of an expert witness was inadmissible, leading the Crown prosecution to admit that there was insufficient evidence to support the charge.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the jury was unaware that the prosecution had dropped the terrorism charge on Monday. The foreman of the jury rendered the decision to acquit shortly after the judge’s order. Fleming’s mother issued a statement through Mr Kernaghan following the verdict.
“I’m relieved that someone has finally paid attention to what has been happening to Simon and our family for years,” she said. “We have been trying to get help for years, but no one (doctors, psychiatrists, no one) would do anything but prescribe more and more drugs.
“And I’m so relieved that finally a Supreme Court justice has paid attention and seen Simon for the sad story that he is.” The remaining 11 charges will be dealt with on mental health grounds.
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They include firing a firearm in a manner likely to injure, seizing/detaining a person to gain the advantage, unauthorized possession of a weapon, and possession of a prohibited firearm. It means that the acts have been proven, but Mr. Fleming has been found not criminally responsible for mental health reasons.
The court was told that Mr Fleming had been diagnosed with schizophrenia by two doctors. Judge Wilson ordered that Fleming be taken to a mental health facility at the Long Bay jail. The court was told that Mr Fleming had previously been referred to a psychiatrist and had been prescribed anti-psychotic medication.
In an interview with police, he told officers that two days earlier he had taken his remaining pills and that morning he had opioid withdrawal. He told officers that he could only remember “flashes” between leaving the house at 9 a.m. and the arrest of him about 90 minutes later.
When questioned by police about the manifesto, he described it as a “stupid tirade”. He denied wanting to hurt anyone or telling his two hostages “I am a terrorist.” “I didn’t say ‘I’m a terrorist,'” he said in his interview with police that he showed himself to the jury earlier this month.
‘Because I think they are more organized than me. ‘I’m just a jerk who grabbed a gun.’ He said he had planned the event for several years and had intended to put up a sign reading “Australia for a Republic” along the road next to the fake bomb.
However, when he walked out the door, he forgot the sign, he told police. He also told officials that “God told him” to lead the charge for Australia to become a republic since he saw a face in the clouds on New Year’s Eve in 2018.
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