Alleged wife shooter’s midnight getaway

A man accused of shooting his wife and severing her spine allegedly drove at a security guard when attempting to flee his rehabilitation facility in the dead of night only to be found in his room an hour later, a court has been told.

Kamal El Jamal, 33, appeared before Downing Centre District Court on Tuesday via video link from Silverwater prison in Sydney’s west as he faces weapons-related offences, including recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.

Police allege Mr El Jamal fired several shots from an illegal firearm into the ceiling of his garage as his wife, Georgina Vlahos, 37, slept in her bed directly above. The shots allegedly severed her spine and caused significant damage to her liver and spleen.

Mr El Jamal, who has pleaded not guilty, has repeatedly been granted bail by the NSW Supreme Court since his arrest and was residing at a rehabilitation facility when police allege he attempted to flee the property in a car before driving at a security guard.

“He’s attempting to flee the existing rehab facility, driving a vehicle, causing a collision with the ground before reversing and attempting to leave and endangering the livelihood of the security guard,” the Crown prosecutor told the court.

Mr El Jamal has not been charged over the alleged getaway attempt, with the court told he drove out of the facility only to park between 100-200m down the road and return to his room by the time police arrived an hour later.

Nonetheless, the Crown prosecutor opposed an application to have Mr El Jamal released again on bail to attend a different, “more rigorous” rehabilitation facility in Mudgee in NSW’s Central West, four hours from Sydney.

He told the court that Mr El Jamal had a “volatile pattern of behaviour” and allegedly breached his release conditions before when he met with his partner and threatened two “young persons who had made a gesture towards her”.

Mr El Jamal’s lawyer told Justice Mark Williams if the 33-year-old had fled the facility in order to contact a witness or skip his court attendance that day he “didn’t try very hard” and had suffered a “brain slip”.

The lawyer said the new facility would mitigate risks and included 24-hour lockup, “doubly rigorous” treatment, including therapy and narcotics anonymous, and Mr El Jamal would be electronically monitored at all times.

Should Mr El Jamal attempt to flee the facility again, Mr Barrack said the device would alert police and the Officer in Charge, and if he intended to come to Sydney, police would have some four hours to intercept him.

Ultimately, Justice Williams agreed the Crown had not shown cause for Mr El Jamal to remain in custody ahead of his trial February 2025 for the firearms matters. He was granted bail to attend the Mudgee facility.