Victoria Police say Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell is too dangerous to walk the streets, following his arrest over an alleged attack on a First Nations camp in Melbourne.
Sewell was held in custody overnight after he was handcuffed and put into a police van outside the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
His lawyers today applied for bail, after the 32-year-old was hit with charges of violent disorder, affray, assault, discharging a missile and other offences over the incident at Camp Sovereignty on Sunday.
Sewell was among a group of black-clad men involved in a melee with occupants at the Kings Domain camp, after the men marched from an anti-immigration rally in the CBD.
Thomas Sewell is charged with multiple offences linked to a violent attack on a First Nations camp on Sunday. (Supplied)
On Wednesday, Detective Senior Constable Saer Pascoe told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court that Sewell should be refused bail because he posed an unacceptable risk to the community.
“The applicant’s behaviour in recent times has been escalating in violence and concerning behaviour,” he said.
The officer said Sewell’s white supremacy group had a “documented history of hate crimes” and there was a risk of “serious injury or death” to anyone who stood up to them.
Sewell had complete control over a “group of followers who will attack without hesitation”, Senior Constable Pascoe said.
Neo-Nazi ‘aggressive and erratic’ before arrest, police say
Sewell appeared “aggressive and erratic” when he gatecrashed Premier Jacinta Allan’s press conference on Tuesday, just hours before his arrest, the officer testified.
He also said Sunday’s alleged attack on Camp Sovereignty was “unprovoked”, with victims kicked, punched and attacked with a pole.
At least three people were injured, including one who needed a head wound stapled, Senior Constable Pascoe said.
However Sewell’s lawyer Matthew Hopkins said there would be evidence put to the court showing “at least some elements of provocation” against the black-clad men before the Camp Sovereignty melee.
“There was some conflict and we will be submitting evidence of graffiti on cars,” he said.
Sewell was already on bail at the time of the incident, and midway through a contested hearing on charges of intimidating a police officer when he was arrested on Tuesday outside the court.
Thomas Sewell interrupted premier Jacinta Allan at a press conference on Tuesday morning, shouting insults and false claims at her. (AAP: Callum Godde)
He was also on bail for charges of behaving in an offensive manner in a public area for leading a white supremacist rally in Ballarat.
Senior Constable Pascoe said Sewell committed an offence on bail when he was involved in a fight with a man in the Bourke Street Mall on August 9, and charges had been recently laid.
On that occasion, the officer said, the man ran up to Sewell and punched him in the face, before Sewell and members of his Neo-Nazi group overpowered the man.
Sewell was also accused of breaching his residential bail conditions by moving from a designated property without telling police.
Defence claims Sewell a victim of ‘political attack’
Sewell’s lawyer said his client had been evicted from his home and planned to move into “long-term accommodation” in the near future.
It was “an oversight” police were not informed about his change of address, with Sewell going on a family holiday to Queensland with his family and living in a campervan, Mr Hopkins said.
Mr Hopkins said Sewell needed to be freed on bail to help his wife.
“Mr Sewell’s wife is unable to operate the campervan. She’s unable to take care of the two children and also return them and the campervan back to Victoria without assistance,” Mr Hopkins said.
Mr Hopkins accused police of coming after Sewell for political reasons, and said police had only charged Sewell over the Bourke Street incident to bolster their case to deny his bail.
“The prosecution evidence is really intertwined with what seems to be a political attack on Mr Sewell,” Mr Hopkins said.
“Mr Sewell is happy to accept any bail conditions that give the court comfort until he is able to vigorously defend the charges laid against him.”
He said his client had always complied with bail conditions to turn up to scheduled court hearings.
Magistrate Donna Bakos remanded Sewell in custody until Friday, when she will rule on his bail application.