Kent pleads guilty to terror charge

Melbourne man Shane Kent faces up to 15 years jail after admitting membership of a
terrorist group and his involvement in preparing a terrorist act.
Kent, 32, faced a trial last year along with 11 other men accused of being members
of a Melbourne terror group that had discussed plans to bomb various landmarks in
the city, including the MCG on AFL grand final day.
He made his admissions on Tuesday just before he was to be retried in the Supreme
Court after a jury at his original trial last year could not reach a verdict.
Kent, from Campbellfield, pleaded guilty to one count of intentionally being a
member of a terrorist organisation between July 2004 and November 2005.
The former forklift driver also pleaded guilty to one count of making a document
connected with the preparation of a terrorist act.
The charges respectively attract maximum jail terms of 10 years and 15 years.
Wearing a dark grey shirt and black jacket, he looked down as the charges were read
and calmly replied "guilty" to each.
Kent has spent almost three years in custody following his arrest in 2005.
But he was released on bail in October last year on strict conditions after the
non-verdict.
The original trial heard he was a member of a terror group led by Melbourne Muslim
cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika, who was found guilty of intentionally directing the
activities of a terrorist organisation and of being a member of a terrorist group.
Benbrika was sentenced in February to 15 years in jail.
Six other members of the group were also found guilty and sentenced to terms ranging
from four years to seven-and-a-half years.
Kent's lawyer John Champion, SC, described him as a "fragile" person who was
depressed and highly anxious.
He said Kent, who is expecting his fourth child with his wife, was undergoing
psychiatric treatment.
Mr Champion asked that Kent's bail be continued so he could spend time with his family.
He said Kent's bail conditions, secured with a $50,000 surety supplied by his
mother, required him to report daily to police.
He also had a night curfew, restrictions on his phone and internet use and travel.
But the crown opposed Kent's bail being continued, saying there were no exceptional
circumstances warranting his release.
Justice David Byrne agreed and remanded Kent into custody, amid sobs from his
supporters, including his wife, who were sitting in court.
Kent, who converted to Islam when he was 19, will reappear in court for his
pre-sentence hearing on August 17.
His earlier trial heard he trained overseas for around two months in a paramilitary
camp. The training included the use of weapons.