A man who allegedly took part in an arson attack at the home of online comedian FriendlyJordies has been released on bail after his lawyer attacked the case against him as “weak”.
The Bondi home of Jordan Shanks, better known as content creator FriendlyJordies, was burnt down in an arson attack in November 2022.
Shanks was not at home when his home in Bondi, a suburb east of Sydney, was burnt down on November 17 and then set alight again six days later.
Police previously described both attacks as deliberate and caused significant damage.
Andre Stepanyan, 38, became the second man charged in June when he was arrested at Parramatta police station.
He has been accused of destroying company property by fire and participating in a criminal group.
Police have said Stepanyan is alleged to have been driving a vehicle involved in the second arson attack and is a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang.
His lawyer Bianca Barnes told the court he had since “disassociated himself” from the outlaw motorcycle gang and was never a fully patched member.
A man accused of setting fire to the home of YouTuber FriendlyJordies, also known as Jordan Shanks (pictured), has been released on bail after his lawyer attacked the “flimsy” case against him.
The YouTuber’s Bondi home was allegedly set on fire twice in one week in November 2022. Police are pictured at the scene.
Stepanyan has been remanded in custody since his arrest and the matter is not expected to go to trial until October next year.
He appeared before the New South Wales Supreme Court on Thursday, where he argued he should be released on bail, with Barnes raising the possibility he could spend more than a year on remand before the matter comes before a jury.
“The prosecution’s case is circumstantial, but it is not a strong circumstantial case,” he said.
‘There is enough for my client to travel to and from the Bondi area from his area of residence at the time.
“There is no evidence to suggest there were passengers inside my client’s car, there is no suggestion my client’s vehicle was in the vicinity of the Bondi area.”
The court was told the Crown alleged Stepanyan drove to the area where another vehicle, a black Mercedes Benz, was parked.
Andre Stepanyan, 38, in June became the second man charged over the alleged attack on Shanks’ Bondi home (pictured) in November 2022.
However, Ms Barnes said the Crown’s case for establishing this was “weak at best”.
She said her car had allegedly been captured on CCTV in the area.
But he said “you can barely make out the make and model of that vehicle” captured on CCTV.
The court was told cell tower data placed him in the area at the time.
The Crown opposed his release on bail, however Judge Sarah McNaughton agreed to release him on conditional bail, including that he be of good behaviour, report to police daily and comply with home detention.
You should also not come within one kilometer of the crime scene, do not use encrypted applications and do not enter any international exit points.
Stepanyan will return to court in November.
