A friendship begun in Afghanistan and reforged in an Australian detention centre has ended in death threats and a dramatic end to a business partnership.
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Mohammad Khan Zadran, 41, of Western Australia appeared in Bega Local Court this week, charged with intimidating his former friend via mobile phone in December last year.
The victim, who was in Eden at the time the threat was made, was unable to report the incident at Eden Police Station and called a friend in Canberra, before driving to the capital and attending Queanbeyan Police Station the following day.
In court on Tuesday, July 18, Zadran denied making the threats, claiming others involved in his previous business dealings had remote access to his phone and could have made the call.
The victim said he identified Zadran as the one who had made the call.
“I can’t make a mistake if I’ve known someone for a long time,” he said.
The pair had known each other in Afghanistan, had reconnected while detention in Australia in 2001, and had become “best friends” until a business relationship went sour last year.
The victim claimed Zadran had become increasingly paranoid over time, leading to threats via text message in October 2016, after which the victim blocked his number.
While in Eden on December 16, the victim heard from a friend Zadran had visited his home in the Melbourne suburb of Noble Park making threats, so he unblocked the number and made an unanswered call to Zadran.
When Zadran returned the call he said he could burn his business and even kill the victim, not caring if jail was the consequence.
Zadran, a Pashto and Dari speaker, had requested a translator for this week’s court hearing, but one was not available.
Defence lawyer Tony Cullinan emphasised the dangers of voice identification evidence, the difficulties created by not having a translator present and his client’s claims of others remotely accessing his phone to make calls.
“It’s somewhat Orwellian,” he said.
Magistrate Doug Dick also questioned the accuracy of voice identification evidence, but said the victim’s evidence was reliable as the pair had “spoken to each other countless times over the years”.
Zadran was found guilty of intimidation and fined $2000.
