Patrick Stevenson, a 20-year-old Gold Coast man with learning disorders and probable autism, has been detained for nearly seven months in north-western Syria, facing execution for the alleged murder of another Australian — yet no government representative has visited him, attended his hearings, or independently assessed his welfare. His family says they've received no documents explaining the charges, no access to their son, and minimal assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
A Confession Without Transparency
Syrian authorities allege Stevenson confessed to firing at least eight shots from an AK-47 at Abdullah Glen Charles Burgess, 40, a tree lopper from Eltham, near Lismore, who was killed in his home in Darkush on December 31 while his wife and daughters were in another room. Stevenson was arrested nearby soon afterwards and later charged with premeditated murder, an offence punishable by death in Syria. But his family and Australian legal team say they don't know how the alleged confession was obtained and have raised serious concerns about whether he'll receive a fair trial.
"Was it given under duress? Was it given in writing? Was it given orally?" asked Bernadette Zaydan, the family's Australian lawyer. "We have grave concerns for his welfare." She urged the federal government to press for Stevenson to receive a transparent trial before an independent court, rather than one associated with Syria's administration or armed forces. "Not a single document has come from Syria explaining the charges," his mother, Angela Bell, told the ABC's 7.30 program. "There's no paperwork, there's no access to Patrick."
Stevenson has learning disorders, ADHD and probable autism spectrum disorder, according to a 2025 psychiatric report. His parents say his mental health has deteriorated severely in detention. Last week, his father, Clay, travelled to Syria carrying his son's Australian medical records and a psychiatric report for the court. He visited Stevenson in Sarmada prison and attended a court hearing on Sunday — the first time a member of the family had seen him since he secretly left Australia last October.
Limited Diplomatic Efforts
Bell said Australian officials had told her diplomatic efforts had gone nowhere. She told the ABC she was disappointed by her dealings with DFAT. "They say … that their policy is that he shouldn't have been travelling to Syria … and that's where the conversation gets stuck," she said. "They use the word 'limited' a lot. They don't use the word failure, but basically the sense is they … have limited capacity to help in this situation."
The ABC understands Australia has made representations about Stevenson's case, but DFAT told his family last month that the Syrian government had shown little engagement. Correspondence seen by the ABC shows the department repeatedly told the family it could not obtain information from Syrian authorities and had no access to the country's detention facilities. Australia has no embassy or consulate in Syria, severely limiting the consular assistance it can provide.
Canberra has struggled to establish relations with Syria's new government, unlike allies including the United States and France. Australia continues to impose sanctions on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the militant group from which Syria's new leadership emerged, and lists it as a terrorist organisation. The group, which formally dissolved last year, was previously affiliated with Al Qaeda.
After the ABC revealed the case, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday that Australia was providing support to both families. "Legal processes will take their course overseas, of course, and that is appropriate," he said. "I feel for the family of the person who's lost their life, and we're connected to them and providing support for them. We're also providing support for the family of the man who's been charged."
A Young Man's Radicalization
Stevenson converted to Islam during his final year of high school in 2023, according to his family. By last year, he was showing signs of radicalization, including sharing speeches by Anwar al-Awlaki, the US-born Al Qaeda cleric and propagandist killed in a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011. He also volunteered with Muslim Youth GC, a youth group connected to the Worongary Mosque on the Gold Coast. The group's leader, Abdul Rahman Nasiri, said neither it nor any other local organisation had supported Stevenson's journey and he was free to make his own choices.
Stevenson left Australia on a flight to Bali on October 10 before travelling to Syria. His parents said they had no idea he had left the country. "I was shocked to find out that he was there," Clay Stevenson said. "It's just like, 'Wow, what's going through his head to be in Syria and who helped him get there?'" Patrick Stevenson's parents said he told them he intended to study at a Syrian university and hoped to find a wife. They tried desperately to convince him to return home.
The family said they discovered he was overseas only after officers from the Queensland Police Security and Counter-Terrorism Command contacted them. His parents said officers searched his bedroom at his father's home and questioned them about extremist material he had allegedly posted in a group chat. "He was talking to someone in a group chat that the Australian government were investigating and Patrick had come up as peripheral to another investigation," Bell said. She said ASIO later questioned her about her son's associations on the Gold Coast.
DFAT advised Stevenson's family that Syrian authorities initially treated the shooting as an accident. They later investigated whether he was affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group. According to information provided to the family, that investigation ended in February when authorities referred the case to the civilian criminal courts as a murder prosecution, rather than as a terrorism case.
The Victim and His Family
The ABC has established that Burgess was a tree lopper from the village of Eltham who spent months in Afghanistan before settling in Syria last year with his Australian wife and their daughters. Those who knew Burgess described him as quiet, devout and reluctant to be photographed. Shahz Rana, a former president of the North Coast Muslim Association, said, "He was a very soft-spoken, gentle sort of guy." He said, "Not too talkable, just used to keep to himself, but was still nice and polite to others." Rana said the news of his death had shocked the community.
Rana said Burgess told community members in about 2024 that his family was moving to Malaysia to live in a Muslim community and learn more about the faith. He was unaware the family had spent at least six months travelling through Taliban-ruled Afghanistan before moving to Darkush, near Syria's border with Türkiye. It isn't known what brought the family to Syria. The ABC doesn't suggest they had links to extremist groups.
People who knew the two men said Burgess took Stevenson under his wing and that they became close before the shooting.
A Fractured Legal System
The prosecution is likely to test Syria's fractured legal system as the country attempts to rebuild its institutions after 14 years of civil war. Syrian legal sources told the ABC that it could take up to a year for the court to reach a verdict. Any death sentence imposed by an ordinary criminal court would have to be reviewed by the Court of Cassation, considered by a clemency committee and approved by Syria's president before it could be carried out.
Stevenson's fate may ultimately rest with a third Australian: Burgess's widow, Amatullah Laurie Duniam. Under the Syrian legal system, she could spare him execution by granting forgiveness, potentially in exchange for a payment of blood money, known as diya. Duniam and other members of Burgess's family declined to speak to the ABC.
Why This Matters:
This case exposes the severe limits of Australia's consular protections for citizens detained abroad, particularly in countries without diplomatic representation. A young man with documented disabilities and mental health needs faces possible execution without independent welfare checks, legal transparency, or access to a fair trial — protections that should be non-negotiable regardless of the allegations against him. The government's inability to obtain basic information about charges, court proceedings, or detention conditions raises urgent questions about Australia's capacity to protect vulnerable citizens overseas. For families navigating these crises, the difference between limited diplomatic engagement and meaningful intervention can be the difference between life and death. The case also highlights how mental health vulnerabilities and radicalization intersect, underscoring the need for early intervention systems that identify at-risk individuals before they make irreversible decisions.