Sydney gang rapes: Difference between revisions
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The '''Sydney |
The '''Sydney gang rapes''' were a series of four separate crimes involving [[rape]] which occurred in [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]] in winter of [[2000]]. The common thread in these cases was that the perpetrators were small groups of young males of [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] [[Muslim]] background, while the victims were females of [[European]] descent. The perpetrators were alleged to have made [[racist]] comments against their victims in the course of the offences, leading some to categorise them as [[hate crime]]s. During the trial the [[text message]]s of one of the offenders, [[Bilal Skaf]], were disclosed as containing sentiments such as "When you are feeling down ... bash a [[Christian]] or [[Catholic]] and lift up". |
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Actions taken by government ministers, including the then [[Premier of New South Wales]], [[Bob Carr]], who publicly identified the perpetrators' background, led to a great deal of controversy. Community groups complained that Carr was smearing the entire Lebanese Muslim community with the crimes of a few of its members, and that his public comments would stir up ethnic hatred. |
Actions taken by government ministers, including the then [[Premier of New South Wales]], [[Bob Carr]], who publicly identified the perpetrators' background, led to a great deal of controversy. Community groups complained that Carr was smearing the entire Lebanese Muslim community with the crimes of a few of its members, and that his public comments would stir up ethnic hatred. |
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Revision as of 06:11, 12 July 2006
The Sydney gang rapes were a series of four separate crimes involving rape which occurred in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia in winter of 2000. The common thread in these cases was that the perpetrators were small groups of young males of Lebanese Muslim background, while the victims were females of European descent. The perpetrators were alleged to have made racist comments against their victims in the course of the offences, leading some to categorise them as hate crimes. During the trial the text messages of one of the offenders, Bilal Skaf, were disclosed as containing sentiments such as "When you are feeling down ... bash a Christian or Catholic and lift up".
Actions taken by government ministers, including the then Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr, who publicly identified the perpetrators' background, led to a great deal of controversy. Community groups complained that Carr was smearing the entire Lebanese Muslim community with the crimes of a few of its members, and that his public comments would stir up ethnic hatred.
The separate gang rapes were, in chronological order:
August 10, 2000 - Two females aged 17 and 18 accepted a lift from Chatswood, lured by the offer of marijuana. They were taken to Northcote Park, Greenacre, where they were forced to perform oral sex on eight males.
August 12, 2000 - Another victim was raped at gunpoint by two males at Gosling Park, Greenacre, having been lured there by one of the rapists, who was an acquaintance. She escaped before she could be raped by another twelve males waiting their turn.
August 30, 2000 - A woman, named C at the trial (she later revealed her identity on the 60 Minutes television program) was lured from a train at Bankstown by the promise of marijuana. She was then raped at three separate locations by 14 males over a period of six hours. As a final humiliation they hosed her down with water. The teenager raped on August 30 was called an "Aussie pig", told she would be raped "Leb-style" and asked "does Leb cock taste better than Aussie cock?"[1]
September 4, 2000 - Two 16 year old females were taken from Beverly Hills train station to a house in Lakemba, where they were raped by three males over a period of four hours. One victim was told "you deserve it because you're an Australian."[2]
Other rapes were attempted, but were not carried out. The West Australian ("Reign of terror by mobile phone and the promise of a smoke", July 31 2002) reports that a 14-year old girl was approached by four males on a train on August 4, 2000, but she escaped before she could be harmed. One of the attackers was quoted as saying on his mobile phone, "I've got a slut with me bro, come to Punchbowl."
The public uproar caused by the gang rapes led to the passage of new legislation through the Parliament of New South Wales, dramatically increasing the sentences for gang rapists by creating a new category of crime known as aggravated sexual assault in company [3]. Also in the course of one of the trials, the defendants refused counsel claiming that all lawyers were against Muslims. This led to the contentious prospect of the defendants being able to cross examine the witnesses themselves, a situation that was averted by further legislation being put through the New South Wales parliament [4].
The first court case heard under the new sentencing regime concerned the gang rapes of two young women in Ashfield on July 28 2002 (see Ashfield gang rapes).
Bilal Skaf, ring leader of the three August 2000 rapes, was sentenced to a total of 55 years imprisonment. On September 16 2005, the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal reduced Skaf's 55 year sentence to a maximum of 28 years, with parole available after 22 years. Bilal Skaf will now be eligible for release on February 11, 2023.
Bilal's younger brother, Mohammed Skaf, was jailed for 32 years for his role in the gang rapes but also had his sentence later reduced to 19 years with a non-parole period of 11 years.
Three other gang rapists - Belal Hajeid, Mohammed Sanoussi, and a man known only as H, also had their sentences reduced.
Sanoussi's brother Mahmoud Sanoussi and another man, Mahmoud Chami, both lost their appeals on their sentences.
Tayaab Sheikh, 18, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
Mohammed Ghanem, 19, was the final person to be sentenced and was imprisoned for 40 years with a non-parole period of 26 years for two counts of rape.
Nine men in total were jailed over the 2000 rapes and received a total of 240 years.
As well as for those directly involved, the crimes have had an impact on the wider community, heightening tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians.[5]
See also
External links
- The Guardian: Racially Motivated Crime and Punishment
- ABC TV's Four Corners: "...For being Lebanese
- ABC TV: Sentencing hearing of Bilal Skaf