Sydney high school teacher charged over alleged gangland murder plot
A Sydney high school teacher has been charged over an alleged plot to murder a key figure in a crime family feud.
Ashleigh Ann Seeney, 28, was arrested during investigations into the fatal September 2 shooting of 40-year-old Joshua McDonald, an innocent bystander killed outside a Merrylands home.
Police allege Ashleigh Ann Seeney conducted surveillance for the gunman and assisted with their escape. 9News
Police allege that Seeney, a PE teacher and year coordinator at Airds High School, conspired with two teenagers, aged 18 and 19, to target a man at West Hoxton at the centre of an internal conflict within the Haouchar crime family.
Detectives claim she was in “constant contact” with the teens, feeding them information on police movements before leaving the area shortly after their arrests.
Detective Superintendent Jason Box said he believed the alleged conspiracy was linked to an internal Haouchar feud rather than the broader gangland war between the Alameddine network and the Coconut Cartel.
Seeney was taken to Wollongong Police Station on Saturday and charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder, participating in a criminal group and failing to comply with a digital evidence access order.
She was later charged with conspiracy to murder, participating in a criminal group, and failing, as a vehicle owner, to disclose the identity of a driver or passenger.
Sydney man Joshua McDonald was gunned down. Supplied
She did not apply for bail, which was formally refused, and is scheduled to reappear in court next month.
The Department of Education confirmed she has been stood down from her duties.
“The education department has acted promptly, and will continue to cooperate with NSW Police,” the statement said.
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