Judge rules Bankstown nurses video inadmissible

A judge has ruled that the video of two Sydney nurses allegedly threatening to kill Israeli patients cannot be used as evidence at their upcoming trial, finding it was recorded unlawfully.

Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, and Ahmad Rashad Nadir, 28, who were stood down from Bankstown Hospital after the footage went viral in February last year, are set to face trial in the NSW District Court on August 31. Both have pleaded not guilty.

On Tuesday, Judge Michael McHugh determined that Israeli content creator Max Ilinski — known online as Max Veifer — had recorded the video unlawfully, and ruled it inadmissible.

“Ultimately, I have come to the firm view that all the video evidence must be excluded from each of the trials of the applicants,” he said.

The ruling follows a months-long bid by the defence to have the footage thrown out, on the grounds it breached NSW laws prohibiting the recording of private conversations without consent. The pair were matched with Ilinski on a cam chat app that connects strangers around the world, while working at Bankstown Hospital. Ilinski recorded the exchange and published it to his more than 100,000 social media followers.