Gang founder loses bid against NSW jailers

The jailed founder of the Brothers 4 Life gang has claimed prison officers are interfering with his legal proceedings by seizing material he needs to access, a Sydney court has heard.

Bassam Hamzy, who is serving a murder sentence at Goulburn SuperMax, is suing jail authorities claiming abuse of power and discrimination.

He appeared via audio-visual link at the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney on Wednesday complaining prison officers had confiscated a USB stick containing legal material from a solicitor, removed one of two tubs of legal documents from his cell and put restrictions on other documents he needed to prepare for his court hearing.

The court heard the USB contained two "prohibited goods" - photographs of other inmates, which Hamzy clarified was actually a newspaper article, and a PDF of the Koran.

"These games that are being played are making a mockery of the administration of justice," said Hamzy, who represented himself.

"Nothing in that USB contains prohibited goods.

"There are inmates... who have been charged with certain offences where their court material contains beheadings, executions, far more sinister material than an electronic copy of the Koran and one newspaper article."

Justice Geoffrey Bellew dismissed the extreme high-risk inmate's application to have the USB and other legal material returned, saying regulations hadn't been breached by the Commissioner or any of his officers.

He also said Hamzy could make an application to prison officers to swap legal material held in his cell for other documents currently held in storage.

Hamzy is due to return to court on November 20.