Neo-Nazi Joel Davis claims he’s only able to shower once every four days in prison as he fights to be released on bail

Neo-Nazi Joel Davis claims he can only shower once every four days in prison and hasn’t been outside since Christmas Eve as he faces allegations he encouraged his supporters to “rhetorically rape” a federal MP. Mr Davis, a high-ranking member of the National Socialist Network, is accused of harassing Allegra Spender using a carriage service following her condemnation of a controversial rally outside state parliament where 60 members of the NSN gathered last year. Mr Davis claimed during his latest failed bail application in January that he was no longer a member of the NSN, just days after the group announced it would shut down. He is now fighting for bail for the fourth time since his arrest by the Australian Federal Police in November over the alleged tweet targeting Ms Spender. The NSW Supreme Court was on Thursday told Mr Davis had not been allowed outside since Christmas Eve, with the circumstances of his custody one of a series of reasons his lawyer Sebastian De Brennan said Mr Davis should be released from Long Bay prison on bail. “Because of his suspected political affiliations he’s being kept in segregation and hasn’t been outside since the 24th of December and is only having a shower once every four days,” Justice Natalie Adams said on Thursday. “Those are unusual conditions of custody.” An affidavit tendered to the court by his solicitor claimed Mr Davis “has gone as long as four days without being provided with a shower”. Neo-Nazi’s ‘friend’ pushes for his release Mr Davis was beamed into the court from Long Bay jail, with a small group of his supporters gathering outside the courtroom during proceedings. Someone claiming to be a friend of Mr Davis also tried to obtain a videolink to Thursday’s proceedings, a move declined by Justice Adams who said they could have “come to court to watch”. She told the court how another person claiming to be Mr Davis’s friend had a few weeks ago put in a habeas corpus application, a legal tool that requires courts to release a prisoner if they find they have been illegally detained. Mr Davis was expected to defend his case in front of a jury trial, the court was told, though he had not yet entered a plea to a single charge of using a carriage service to menace/harass/offend. Justice Adams also said Mr Davis was charged with nine further offences in March 2026, however these were not read out in court and it is unclear at this stage what these charges are. A trial would likely not take place until towards the end of 2027, the court was told. Political views changed The court was told Mr Davis had had the chance to reflect on the best way to communicate and deal with his political beliefs. “But that would be the major concern in releasing the applicant is what conditions could make sure that there is not a repeat of this behaviour given he clearly has these views and maintains them even if he’s had some insight into the implications of approaching them in the way he has in the recent past,” Justice Adams said. Mr De Brennan said his client had indicated that he had changed some of his political views and now wanted to focus on being a father, having missed the birth of his child due to being in custody. He argued there were a range of conditions that could ease concerns about Mr Davis being released on bail, while the Crown expressed worry Mr Davis would not comply with court orders. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions argued that Mr Davis could endanger the emotional wellbeing of the community should he be released. “Because the alleged conduct has the capacity to incite others to affect the applicant’s desires, it may well get as high as physical safety,” she said. “But at the very least it amounts to a risk to the emotional safety of other individuals based on a pattern of offending conduct.” Mr Davis has lost three applications for bail in the local court, with Thursday’s hearing his first attempt for bail in the NSW Supreme Court. Justice Adams is due to hand her decision down on Thursday afternoon. More to come …