Former Sydney imam Jasmin Bekric sentenced for possessing weapon

A Sydney religious official has avoided a conviction after police found an expandable baton in his home during a search.

Jasmin Bekric, 56, happily walked out of Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday surrounded by family after he was put on a good behaviour bond for 12 months for possessing a prohibited weapon without a permit.

It comes days after police dropped a raft of fraud charged against the former Smithfield Mosque imam.

On Friday, Mr Bekric faced a 20-minute hearing, where 11 charges against him were dismissed, including seven counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

Other dismissed charges included making false statements on official forms and having stolen money in his possession.

He had been accused of cashing cheques from a Bosnian-Australian Islamic organisation into his personal Commonwealth Bank of Australia account.

The deposits totalled about $40,000, police alleged in court documents prior to dismissing the charges.

That same day, Mr Bekric pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited weapon without a permit.

Defence barrister Philip Strickland SC told the court that his client admitted to the charge but was an important member of the community.

The court was told police had executed a search warrant at Mr Bekric’s home in relation to the fraud matters when they found the weapon.

“Police found a collapsed weapon in a hallway cabinet,” magistrate Lisa Stapleton said.

According to court documents, Mr Bekric told police he put the baton in the cupboard “a long time ago, for safety”.

Ms Stapleton said the former imam addressed the weapon immediately with police and pleaded guilty to the offence, which was in his favour.

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“He is a person of outstanding character in the community and has been in the country since 1994,” she said.

“He’s a 56-year-old gentlemen who works in the community to ‘foster good relationships and good ill between different faiths’.”

Ms Stapleton said the matter did not deserve a conviction and sentenced Mr Bekric to a good behaviour bond for 12 months.

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