Man wrongfully named as Bondi killer engages top defamation lawyer
Benjamin Cohen, the Sydney Jewish man, who found himself the target of false accusations following the Bondi Junction mass murder has reportedly engaged one of Australia’s foremost defamation lawyers.
Despite police identifying Joel Cauchi as the actual assailant, online trolls, including Maram Susli, known as Syrian Girl, and Simeon Boikov, known as Aussie Cossack, erroneously targeted Cohen, sparking a wave of antisemitic vitriol.
Even mainstream media outlets like Australia’s Channel Seven fell for the false allegation, further compounding Cohen's distress.
Fresh of the Lehrmann judgement, Australia’s foremost defamation enforcer Rebekah Giles picks up Ben Cohen, the uni student misidentified by Seven as the Bondi murderer. Seven is staying in the ugly spotlight.
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) April 16, 2024
Tomorrow’s column:https://t.co/ahnf3V5ZEZ
Concerned about the ramifications of baseless accusations, Cohen stressed the potential harm inflicted on innocent lives, labelling such actions as "very dangerous."
He urged for more responsibility in online discourse, highlighting the ease with which falsehoods can ruin lives.
Disgusting neo-Nazis Lucas Gage and Thomas Sewell relied on Russian propaganda to demonise a 20 year old Jewish guy in Sydney and blame all Jews on the Sydney terror attack. Sue them all into the ground Ben. pic.twitter.com/sCzzpDzJ6o
— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇦🇹🇼🇨🇾 (@DrewPavlou) April 13, 2024
Meanwhile, the real perpetrator, Cauchi, was swiftly confronted and neutralised by NSW Police Inspector Amy Scott, underscoring the importance of accurate reporting and swift law enforcement intervention in such crises.