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Courts / Sydney, NSW

Sydney high school teacher Ashleigh Ann Seeney charged over alleged mistaken identity murder plot

7NEWS
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  • Ashleigh Ann Seeney, 28, a PE teacher at Airds High School in southwest Sydney, was arrested about 5pm on Tuesday following investigations into the death of 40-year-old Joshua Macdonald.
  • Two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested about 30km southwest from where Macdonald was killed in West Hoxton on September 11.
  • Seeney was first arrested at a Wollongong unit on Friday, with police alleging she conducted surveillance for those involved in the shooting and helped them escape afterwards.
  • Seeney was granted bail on those charges.
  • The NSW Department of Education confirmed Seeney has been stood down from her position at Airds High School “while NSW Police investigates these serious allegations”.

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Ashleigh Ann Seeney a PE teacher at Airds High School in southwest Sydney, was arrested about 5pm on Tuesday following investigations into the death of 40-year-old Joshua Macdonald.

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Adelaide High School showing girls in classroom reading(GN08868) library picture
Not from this story. A library photograph of classroom school pupils, used to illustrate it. Adelaide High School showing girls in classroom reading(GN08868) Wikimedia Commons, CC0

A Sydney high school teacher has been charged over her alleged involvement in a murder conspiracy following the shooting death of a man in the city’s west.

Ashleigh Ann Seeney, 28, a PE teacher at Airds High School in southwest Sydney, was arrested about 5pm on Tuesday following investigations into the death of 40-year-old Joshua Macdonald.

Macdonald was allegedly shot outside a home on Bruce St in Merrylands West about 3.15pm on September 2, in what police believe was a case of mistaken identity.

CCTV footage from nearby shows a car driving up to and stopping in front of the home before a gunman fired several shots through the rear window.

Two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested about 30km southwest from where Macdonald was killed in West Hoxton on September 11.

Police allege a drone uncovered during investigations implicated the 18-year-old as the alleged shooter.

Seeney was first arrested at a Wollongong unit on Friday, with police alleging she conducted surveillance for those involved in the shooting and helped them escape afterwards.

She was 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.

Seeney was granted bail on those charges.

However, she was arrested again on Tuesday and charged with three further offences, including conspiracy to murder, participating in a criminal group and failing as an owner to disclose the identity of a driver or passenger.

Seeney faced court on Wednesday, where her previous bail was revoked.

She will remain behind bars until she is due to face court again on November 19.

The NSW Department of Education confirmed Seeney has been stood down from her position at Airds High School “while NSW Police investigates these serious allegations”.

“The Department has acted promptly and will continue to fully cooperate with NSW Police,” a spokesperson said.

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