An Iraqi national accused of stabbing a female stranger in the neck on a tram was branded a 'f***ing dog' when he appeared in court on Wednesday.
asserted
he → accuse → Wednesday
Jahangir Sharifabadi, 37, fronted Melbourne Magistrates' Court dressed in the same worn clothing he was wearing when he was arrested on Tuesday afternoon.
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he → front → afternoon
He is accused of stabbing the 51-year-old woman with a fork in an unprovoked attack on board the city tram near Kings Way, in South Melbourne, about midday.
asserted
He → accuse → Melbourne
The woman had reportedly been carrying a chihuahua when she was allegedly attacked.
uncertain
she → carry → chihuahua
Sharifabadi's arrest was captured on video by a bystander, who posted it to social media.
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who → capture → media
Sharifabadi, aided by a Persian interpreter, said nothing throughout the brief hearing where the court heard he had already been on bail at the time of the alleged offence.
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he → aid → offence
The dishevelled, homeless man rocked back and forth throughout the hearing.
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man → rock → hearing
He was dressed in the same garb on Wednesday
His court-appointed lawyer said Sharifabadi suffered from schizophrenia and asked for a custody nurse to inspect him.
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Sharifabadi → dress → him
She also requested he be moved promptly to the Melbourne Assessment Prison where he might receive better medical care.
uncertain
he → request → care
Sharifabadi made no application for bail and will appear in court later this month via video link.
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Sharifabadi → make → link
As the accused was removed from the court, an unseen man who had logged into the video link taunted Sharifabadi and called him a 'f***ing dog'.
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who → accuse → him
Magistrate Darcy Dempsey ignored the abusive interjection and moved on to the next case, involving an alleged murder.
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Dempsey → ignore → murder
The online taunt came just a day after crime reporter Ryan Naumenko was abused in court by faceless trolls hijacking the video link of his hearing.
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Naumenko → come → hearing
Sharifabadi, of no fixed address, is accused of randomly attacking the woman before getting off the tram.
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Sharifabadi → fix → tram
He was charged with offences including reckless conduct endangering serious injury, intentionally causing injury, stalking, assault with a weapon, committing an indictable offence while on bail and possessing a controlled weapon.
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He → charge → weapon
Police converged on the scene in South Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon
Horrified witnesses watched the incident unfold from their offices around lunchtime.
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incident → converge → lunchtime
Celeste Hall told the Herald Sun the alleged attacker surrendered to police after they drew their weapons and pointed them at him.
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they → tell → him
'The policeman raised his gun up at him and he [the accused] put his hands up,' she said.
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she → raise → hands
There were a bunch of uni students who got off as well.'
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who → be → students
Fellow witness Liz Oxenbury saw the alleged victim and her dog being helped from the tram as police closed in.
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police → see → tram
'They took her into the ambulance and she had a little chihuahua with her,' she said.
'
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she → take → her
She looked distraught.
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She → look → ?
A Yarra Trams spokeswoman said it was believed a fork was used to attack the passenger.
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fork → say → passenger
Jahangir Sharifabadi is taken into custody after the alleged attack
The scene of the alleged attack in South Melbourne
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Sharifabadi → take → Melbourne
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Mail → launch → podcast
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Mail → gain → podcast
The victim was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries to her upper body.
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victim → take → body
The incident is the latest alleged stabbing across Melbourne in recent weeks.
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incident → allege → weeks
Langwarrin father Colin Sheean was allegedly stabbed as he tried to stop a break-in last month.
uncertain
he → stab → in
A teenage girl, 18, was allegedly also set upon in a vicious stabbing brawl at Deer Park in September.
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girl → set → September
And a mother taking her children to hospital in the city was also allegedly stabbed with scissors outside police headquarters in August.
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mother → take → August
The Aporia
