Sydney PE teacher charged as accessory in gangland murder plot

A Sydney teacher has been charged with plotting to murder a man police say is at the centre of an internal conflict within the Haouchar crime family.

Taskforce Falcon detectives on Tuesday afternoon arrested Ashleigh Ann Seeney at Wollongong police station.

Detectives allege the 28-year-old plotted to kill the man with two teenagers – aged 18 and 19 – at West Hoxton, in Sydney’s west.

The NSW Education Department confirmed Seeney, a physical education teacher at Airds High School in Sydney’s south-west, had been stood down.

Detective Superintendent Jason Box, the commander of Taskforce Falcon, said the alleged plot was not linked to an ongoing conflict between the Alameddine organised crime network and rival group the Coconut Cartel.

Seeney was allegedly in “constant contact” with the two teens at West Hoxton, relaying information about police movements and leaving the area shortly after they were arrested.

The alleged conspiracy to murder targeted a man living nearby and stemmed from what police believe is a conflict within the Haouchar crime family over illicit drugs.

“He has been warned about this threat to life … as with most of the persons that we do warn, they’re – a lot of them – very dismissive of what we tell them,” Box said.

“He has been spoken to numerous times about his connections with organised crime, potential threats, and he was warned yet again after this.”

Police allege the Haouchar crime family once controlled an international billion-dollar drugs, guns and tobacco trafficking syndicate, commanded by Bilal Haouchar. Haouchar, who remains wanted by NSW Police, fled Australia for Lebanon, where he has been jailed.

Box said “crime as a service” was being conducted for numerous organised crime networks.

“I don’t think there’s any loyalty in terms of who they work for, it’s all about financial gain, and they will take on these roles as they see fit,” he said.

“They’re all fully aware of what the intention is, so they’re all complicit in the offence of the conspiracy to murder.”

Homicide squad detectives last week charged Seeney with being an accessory after the fact to the murder of 40-year-old Joshua Macdonald, who was earlier this month shot dead outside his business partner’s home in a mistaken identity killing.

Police allege she helped the assailants evade capture after leaving the Merrylands West crime scene.

Seeney was granted bail on those charges. However, hours after she left custody, she was hit with the fresh West Hoxton murder conspiracy charge, along with participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity, and not disclosing the identity of a driver or passenger.

Judge Te’res Sia revoked Seeney’s earlier bail on Wednesday afternoon. She did not apply for bail on the fresh charges, and it was formally refused.

Seeney is next due to appear via videolink before Parramatta Local Court on November 19.

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