View source for Sydney gang rapes

{{Short description|2000 Australian crime spree}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}
The '''Sydney gang rapes''' were a series of [[gang rape]] attacks committed by a group of up to 14 youths led by [[Bilal Skaf]] against [[Australians|Australian]] women and teenage girls (2 with Italian parents, 1 with Greek parents and one Aboriginal Australian girl),<ref>{{cite news |title=When race and rape collide |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/when-race-and-rape-collide-20020917-gdulki.html |access-date=9 December 2020 |work=The Age |date=17 September 2002 |quote=In the space of two months, seven teenage girls who identify as Australian - although two have Italian parents, one has Greek parents and one is part Aboriginal - were abducted and pack-raped by members of a group of youths their own age.}}</ref> as young as 14, in [[Sydney]], [[New South Wales]], [[Australia]], across several days in 2000. The crimes, described as ethnically motivated [[hate crimes]] by one columnist,<ref name="Ethnicity linked to brutal gang rapes">{{cite news | first = Tracy | last = Bowden | title = Ethnicity linked to brutal gang rapes | publisher = ABC | date = 15 July 2002 | url = http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2002/s607757.htm | access-date = 30 July 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070108091135/http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2002/s607757.htm | archive-date = 8 January 2007 | url-status = dead}}</ref> were covered extensively by the news media, and prompted the passing of new laws. In 2002, nine men were convicted and sentenced to a combined total of more than 240 years in prison for their roles in the gang rapes. Although fourteen individuals were initially suspected, there was only sufficient evidence to convict nine. During sentencing, Judge Michael Finnane described the rapes as events that "you hear about or read about only in the context of wartime atrocities".<ref name="Age race rape collide"/>

==Attacks==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Date
!Week day
!Event
|-
|10 August 2000
|Thursday
|Attackers offered a ride and a portion of [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] to two teenage girls aged 17 and 18. The women were taken by the attackers to Northcote Park, [[Greenacre, New South Wales|Greenacre]], where more collaborators were waiting. The women were then forced to [[fellate]] eight males.<ref name="4Corners H sentencing remarks">{{cite web | author = Judge Michael Finnane | title = Regina v H (sentencing remarks) | date = 23 August 2002 | url = http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s676658.htm | access-date = 30 July 2006 | publisher = The [[District Court of New South Wales]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311045725/http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s676658.htm | archive-date = 11 March 2007 | url-status = dead}}</ref>
|-
|12 August 2000
|Saturday
|A 16-year-old girl was brought to Gosling Park, [[Greenacre, New South Wales|Greenacre]], by 17-year-old Mohammed Skaf, who she believed was her friend. At the park she was raped by Mohammed's brother [[Bilal Skaf]] and one other man, with twelve other men present who she said were "standing around, laughing and talking in their own language".<ref name="NEWS Skaf gets 31 years">{{cite news | author = AAP | title = Gang rapist Skaf gets 31 years | publisher = NEWS.com.au |date= 28 July 2006 | url = http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19939084-1702,00.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 | author-link = Australian Associated Press }} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The second man held a gun to her head and kicked her in the stomach before she was able to escape.<ref name="Age victim happy sentence">{{cite news | author = AAP | title = Victim 'happy' with Skaf rape sentence | newspaper = The Age |date= 28 July 2006 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Skaf-sentenced-to-38-years-jail-for-rape/2006/07/28/1153816359618.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 | author-link = Australian Associated Press }}</ref>
|-
|30 August 2000
|Wednesday
|Another woman was approached by attackers at the [[Bankstown railway station]], who proposed she join them in smoking some cannabis at another location. She agreed and went with them. However, she was taken to three separate locations by the men and raped 25 times by a total of fourteen men in an ordeal that lasted six hours. After the attacks, the woman was hosed down with a fire hose. The woman, who was known during the trial as 'C' to protect her identity, later told her story to ''[[60 Minutes (Australian TV program)|60 Minutes]]''. She told of how the attackers called her an "Aussie Pig", asked her if "[[Lebanese people|Leb]] cock tasted better than Aussie cock" and explained to her that she would now be raped "Leb-style".<ref name="Age race rape collide">{{cite news | author1=Crichton, Sarah | author2=Stevenson, Andrew | title =When race and rape collide | work= [[The Age (newspaper)|The Age]]. |date= 17 September 2002 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/16/1032054759536.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref>
|-
|{{nobr|4 September 2000}}
|Monday
|Two girls, both 16, were taken by the attackers from [[Beverly Hills railway station]] to a house in another suburb, where three men repeatedly raped them over a period of five hours. One of the victims was told that "You deserve it because you're an Australian". Due to a [[plea bargain]] and the victims not testifying in person, several aggravating factors – kidnap, threats to kill and knife use – were dropped from the prosecution of this crime, without the victims' knowledge.<ref name="60minutes life sentence">{{cite web |last=Hayes |first=Liz |author-link=Liz Hayes |title=Life Sentence: Transcript |work=60 Minutes |publisher=Nine Network |date=2 September 2001 |url=http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2001_09_02/story_407.asp |access-date=30 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830113006/http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/sixtyminutes/stories/2001_09_02/story_407.asp |archive-date=30 August 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|}

==Further attempted attacks==
A further series of gang rapes were said to have been attempted but thwarted. Four of the attackers were also convicted for an attack on Friday 4 August 2000 when they approached a fourteen-year-old girl on a train where she was threatened with violence, punched twice, slapped,<ref name="Gang rapist jailed 25 years as judge finds grounds for leniency">{{cite news | last = Crichton | first = Sarah | title = Gang rapist jailed 25 years as judge finds grounds for leniency | newspaper =The Sydney Morning Herald|date= 24 August 2002 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/08/23/1030052975310.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref> and told that she would be forced to perform fellatio on several men and that she was going to be raped.<ref name="4Corners H sentencing remarks"/>

==Attackers==
*'''[[Bilal Skaf]]''', who was 18 years old at the time, led and orchestrated the three August 2000 attacks. He was initially sentenced to a total of 55 years' imprisonment but had his sentence for these attacks reduced by the [[Supreme Court of New South Wales|New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal]] to 28 years, with no parole for the first 22 years. However, on 28 July 2006, Acting Justice [[Jane Mathews]] added another ten years to his sentence for his role in the 12 August rape. His original conviction over this attack had been quashed in 2004 and a retrial ordered after it was revealed that two jurors had conducted their own investigations at Gosling Park.<ref name="SMH rapists resentenced">{{cite news | last = Wallace | first = Natasha | title = Gang rapists re-sentenced | newspaper =The Sydney Morning Herald|date= 28 July 2006 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/gang-rapists-resentenced/2006/07/28/1153816358559.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref> Bilal is eligible for release on parole from 11 February 2033. In March 2003, Skaf was charged with sending mail containing white powder to a corrections department official from prison in an apparent hoax [[terrorist]] act.<ref name="Age sight mind">{{cite news | last = Gibbs | first = Stephen | title = Rapist out of sight but not out of mind | newspaper = The Age |date= 2 August 2003 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/01/1059480552721.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref> In April 2015, he was attacked by two other inmates in jail and sustained "serious facial injuries".<ref name="goulb-post-bash-sentence">{{cite news |last1=Oliver|first1=Peter |title=Prisoner sentenced for bashing Bilal Skaf |url=http://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/3501535/prisoner-sentenced-for-bashing-bilal-skaf/ |access-date=7 March 2017 |work=[[Goulburn Post]] |date=18 November 2015}}</ref>
*'''Mohammed Skaf''', who was 17 years old at the time, the younger brother of Bilal Skaf, was sentenced to 32 years for his role in the gang rapes but also had his sentence reduced on appeal to 19 years with a non-parole period of 11 years. However, on 28 July 2006, he received an additional 15 years, with a minimum of seven and a half years over the Gosling Park attack. He was then eligible for release on parole from 1 July 2019.<ref name="NEWS Skaf gets 31 years"/> Skaf showed no remorse for his crimes, making sexually inappropriate remarks to female staff at the [[Kariong Juvenile Justice Centre]] where he was incarcerated and continued to blame his victims for initially agreeing to go with him because "they came out with us as soon as I asked them."<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/10/1034222543718.html|title = Puny brother a cowardly bully|last = Crichton| first = Sarah|date = 11 October 2002|access-date = 15 July 2008|newspaper =The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> His parole was denied in February 2020, with The State Parole Authority mentioning that "it appears that he still blames the victims for his offending, has no victim empathy and refuses to take responsibility for his actions".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://7news.com.au/news/crime/notorious-sydney-gang-rapist-mohammed-skaf-fails-in-parole-bid--c-709669|title=Notorious Sydney gang rapist learns fate after applying for parole|date=2020-02-21|website=7NEWS.com.au|language=en|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/gang-rapist-mohammed-skaf-refused-parole-again-20200430-p54oqq.html|title=Gang rapist Mohammed Skaf refused parole again|date=2020-04-30|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=2020-04-30}}</ref> His parole was denied again in November 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nilsson |first1=Anton |last2=Zemek |first2=Steve |title=Mohammed Skaf denied parole for a third time |url=https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/mohammed-skaf-denied-parole-for-a-third-time/news-story/219b96b788ef2fb0dccee45750d594e3 |access-date=9 December 2020 |publisher=News.com.au |date=6 November 2020}}</ref> Mohammed Skaf was released under "strict parole" conditions on 6 October 2021. The release on parole means he can be under "heavy surveillance" for 26 months. He will be monitored electronically for 24 hours a day, and he has been banned from some areas in Western Sydney.<ref name="abc-mhmd-skaf-parole-6oct'21">{{cite news |last1=Reddie |first1=Mark |title=Sydney gang rapist Mohammed Skaf released from prison on parole |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-06/gang-rapist-mohammed-skaf-leaves-jail-on-parole/100516616 |access-date=6 October 2021 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=5 October 2021 |language=en-AU}}</ref>
*'''Belal Hajeid''', who was 20 years old at the time, was convicted and imprisoned for 23 years with a non-parole period of 15 years. Hajeid later had his sentence reduced on appeal.<ref name="Belal Hajeid conviction">{{cite news| last=Duff| first=Eamonn| title=Convicted man's family feel like criminals| url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/20/1026898931420.html| access-date=5 September 2013| newspaper=The Sun-Herald| date=21 July 2002| quote=''...&nbsp;jailed for 23 years for his part in the gang rape of two teenage girls.''}}</ref>
*'''Mohammed Sanoussi''', who was 18 years old at the time, was convicted of gang rape and sentenced to 21 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 12 years, for his involvement in the assaults that occurred on 10 and 30 August. Sanoussi later had his sentence reduced to 16 years on appeal. Shortly after Sanoussi's conviction, his brother and cousin were banned from visiting him in prison for three months after a rowdy clash with staff at the [[Mount Penang Juvenile Justice Centre|Kariong Juvenile Justice Centre]] where he was incarcerated. Shouting broke out when staff removed the visitors after they had tried to pass newspaper clippings to the brothers about their sentencing the previous day.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/14/1031608343098.html|title = Rape leader's mum banned from prison|last = Mitchell|first = Alex| work = Sun Herald| date = 15 September 2002|access-date = 15 July 2008}}</ref> Sanoussi remained behind bars when denied parole for a second time in October 2011.<ref>"[http://m.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-gang-rapist-loses-parole-bid-20111004-1l6k8.html Sydney Gang rapist Loses Parole Bid]". ''AAP'', The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 October 2011</ref> Parole applications were rejected on three occasions.<ref name="Parole revoked"/> He has been on weekend leave since October 2012 and day leave since May 2013. On 5 September 2013, Sanoussi was granted parole with strict conditions but was not immediately released.<ref name="paroled September 2013">{{cite news| title=Parole granted to Skaf gang rapist Mohamed Sanoussi| url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-05/parole-granted-to-skaf-gang-rapist-mohamed-sanoussi/4937204| access-date=5 September 2013| work=ABC News |location=Australia | date=5 September 2013}}</ref> The next day, his parole was revoked.<ref name="Parole revoked">{{cite news| title=Parole revoked for Skaf gang rapist Mohamed Sanoussi| url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-06/parole-revoked-for-skaf-gang-rapist-mohamed-sanoussi/4941214| access-date=6 September 2013| newspaper=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]| location=Australia | date=6 September 2013| quote=''The State Parole Authority has revoked the parole it granted just yesterday to Skaf gang rapist Mohamed Sanoussi, before he could be released.''}}</ref> Upon release, Sanoussi was to live at his family's home. However, late on 5 September it became known that his two brothers, who also lived there and are linked to the [[Brothers for Life]] gang, had been charged, with two others, with a violent assault.<ref name="Parole revoked"/> The State Parole Authority met and decided that "...the previously approved accommodation was not suitable in light of the new information."<ref name="Parole revoked"/> On appeal, Judge Terence Christie conceded that his brother's crimes had nothing to do with Sanoussi and that he should be released. Sanoussi was paroled on 10 October 2013. Among other conditions, he is not to have contact with his two brothers without permission.<ref name="Sanoussi parole September 2013">{{cite news| title = Skaf gang rapist Mohammed Sanoussi cleared for parole |url = http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/skaf-gang-rapist-mohammed-sanoussi-cleared-for-parole/story-e6frg6nf-1226722712486#sthash.iQQNmMH3.dpuf| access-date=20 September 2013 |work=The Australian| date=19 September 2013 |agency=AAP}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=NSW gang rapist Sanoussi free from jail|url=http://www.9news.com.au/national/2013/10/10/10/55/skaf-rapist-mohamed-sanoussi-set-to-walk|website=9News.com|date=10 October 2013 |access-date=18 September 2014}}</ref>
*'''Mahmoud Sanoussi''', who was 17 years old at the time, brother of Mohammed Sanoussi, was sentenced to 11 years and three months' imprisonment with parole available after six and a half years. He unsuccessfully appealed against his sentence in 2005. He was released on parole in May 2009 but had his parole revoked in March 2010 for his drug use.<ref>{{cite news| last=Davies| first=Lisa| url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw-act/skaf-gang-rapist-back-behind-bars/story-e6freuzi-1225851594937|title=Skaf gang rapist back behind bars|work=The Daily Telegraph| date=9 April 2010| access-date=6 September 2013}}</ref>
*'''Mahmoud Chami''', who was 20 years old at the time, was sentenced to 18 years with a non-parole period of ten years. Chami unsuccessfully appealed against his sentence in 2004. He was released to parole in April 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200208/s644897.htm |title=Man jailed until 2012 for NSW gang rape |date=9 August 2002 |work=[[ABC Online]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208054347/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200208/s644897.htm |archive-date=8 December 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Jeloscek|first1=Lee|title=Notorious Skaf gang rapist may be paroled|url=https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/18595224/notorious-skaf-gang-rapist-may-be-paroled/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140918160647/https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/18595224/notorious-skaf-gang-rapist-may-be-paroled/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 September 2014|website=7News, Sydney|publisher=Yahoo News|access-date=18 September 2014}}</ref>
*"'''H'''" (Identity sealed: H has had his name suppressed under court order because of his "intellectual and mental disabilities"),<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s676658.htm |title = Sentencing of H |work = [[Four Corners (Australian TV program)|Four Corners]] - ... For Being Lebanese Broadcast 16 September 2002 |publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date = 16 September 2002 |access-date = 15 July 2008 |quote = '' On 23 August 2002, Justice Michael Finnane sentenced 'H' to 25 years in gaol with 15 years non-parole. These are Justice Finnane's sentencing remarks.'' |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080419082940/http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s676658.htm |archive-date = 19 April 2008 |url-status = dead}}</ref> then 19, was sentenced to 25 years with a non-parole period of 15 years. 'H' later had his sentence reduced on appeal. A parole hearing was held in October 2013,<ref name="Sanoussi parole September 2013" /> and he was released in February 2014 under strict parole conditions.<ref name=news-H-release>[http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/skaf-gang-rapist-to-be-released/story-e6frfku9-1226817453153 Skaf gang rapist to be released]. 4 February 2014, News.com.au</ref>
*'''Tayyab Sheikh''', who was 16 years old at the time, was initially sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of nine years for his role in the 30 August rape. He was retried and sentenced to eight years and six months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years and six months. He was released from prison in late June 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/skaf-gang-rapes-unmasking-the-monster-behind-the-crimes-that-shocked-a-nation/news-story/d573a6b93f35daafed54dfdb5ad063fd |title=Skaf gang rapes: Unmasking the monsters behind the crimes that shocked a nation |website=dailytelegraph.com.au |date=1 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/freedom-for-gang-rapist-who-faced-two-trials/2007/07/02/1183351125251.html|title=Freedom for gang rapist who faced two trials|date=2 July 2007|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/06/1031115938178.html|title=Rape gang members named|last=Crichton|first=Sarah|author2=Stevenson, Andrew |date=7 September 2002|work=theage.com.au|access-date=24 March 2011}}</ref>
*'''Mohammed Ghanem''', who was 19 years old at the time, 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. Ghanem, like his co-offenders Bilal Skaf and Mohammed Skaf, showed no remorse for his actions, effectively opting to "tough it out" at the Kariong Juvenile Justice Centre, where he was detained while awaiting trial.<ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/11/1034222596283.html| title = Gang rape man jailed 40 years|last = Crichton| first = Sarah|date = 12 October 2002|access-date = 15 July 2008|newspaper =The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref>

==Racial controversy==
The conservative commentator [[Miranda Devine]] said the crimes were racially motivated [[hate crime]]s.<ref name="Ethnicity linked to brutal gang rapes" /> She also asserted that much of the media had attempted to "[[political correctness|airbrush]]" the racial element out of reporting on the crime spree; she quoted a victim that all mention of the overtly racist statements made by the perpetrators had been "censored" from their official statements by prosecutors to avoid complicating attempts to negotiate guilty pleas with the accused. ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' reported that the rapists had stated to a victim during the attack, "You deserve it because you're an Australian" and "I'm going to fuck you Leb-style".<ref name="Racist rapes: Finally the truth comes out">{{cite news | author-link = Miranda Devine|first = Miranda|last = Devine | title = Racist rapes: Finally the truth comes out | newspaper =The Sydney Morning Herald|date= 13 July 2002 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/13/1026185124700.html| access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref>{{primary inline|date=February 2025}}

==New laws==
The gang rapes led to the passage of new legislation through the [[Parliament of New South Wales]], increasing the sentences for gang rapists by creating a new category of crime known as "aggravated sexual assault in company".<ref name="AustLII CA s61ja">{{cite web | title = SECT 61JA | work = Crimes Act 1900 | publisher = [[AustLII|Australasian Legal Information Institute]] | url = http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ca190082/s61ja.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref>

Also, in the course of one of the trials, the defendants refused counsel, as they believed that "all lawyers were against [[Muslim]]s". This led to the contentious prospect of the defendants being able to cross-examine the witnesses, including the victims, a situation that was averted by further legislation being put through the state parliament.<ref name="AustLII CPA s294a">{{cite web | title = SECT 294A | work = Criminal Procedure Act 1986 | publisher =Australasian Legal Information Institute | url = http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/cpa1986188/s294a.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref>

Actions taken by government ministers, including [[Premier of New South Wales]] [[Bob Carr]], who publicly identified the perpetrators' background, led to controversy. Ethnic community group leaders, including [[Keysar Trad]] of the [[Lebanese Muslim Association]], 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]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Carr accused of stirring racism |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/carr-accused-of-stirring-racism-20031016-gdhli4.html |access-date=20 June 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=16 October 2003 |language=en}}</ref>

The first court case heard under the new sentencing regime concerned the [[Ashfield gang rapes]] of girls by [[Pakistani people|Pakistani]] and [[Nepal]]ese immigrants in [[Ashfield, New South Wales|Ashfield]] on 28 July 2002.<ref>{{cite news |title=History of infamy |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/history-of-infamy-20050722-gdlqd6.html |access-date=20 June 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=22 July 2005 |language=en}}</ref>

==Role of technology in coordination of the attacks==
The attackers used [[short message service|SMS]] and [[mobile phone]]s to orchestrate the attack and to phone ahead to other attackers to co-ordinate transport of rape gang members to the locations where women were being held. Authorities later released some of this material, recovered from the rapists' mobile phones.

The attackers texted violent [[Persecution of Christians|anti-Christian]] messages, such as, "When you are feeling down... [[Religious violence|bash a Christian]] or [[Catholic]] and lift up".<ref name="SMH rapists' loving family">{{cite news | first = Candace |last =Sutton |author2=Duff, Eamonn | title = Rapist's loving family: Where did we fail our son? | newspaper =The Sydney Morning Herald|date= 8 September 2002 | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/07/1031115957991.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref> And as well as [[Sexual objectification|sexually degrading]] texts like, "I've got a [[slut]] with me bro, come to [[Punchbowl, New South Wales|Punchbowl]]".<ref name="Sentence angers rape gang victims">{{cite news | first= Sarah |last =Crichton | title = Sentence angers rape gang victims | newspaper = The Age|date= 24 August 2002 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/23/1030052975185.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref>

==Skaf gang rape psychologist==
In July 2019, it was revealed that Joanne Natalie Senior, a former prison psychologist who was fired for having a relationship with a Skaf gang rapist and who married another member of the notorious child rape gang,<ref>{{cite news | first = Rachel |last = Olding | title = Parole law flaw: struck-off prison psychologist's secret marriage to Skaf gang rapist| newspaper =The Sydney Morning Herald |date= 19 February 2017 | url = https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/parole-law-flaw-struckoff-prison-psychologists-secret-marriage-to-skaf-gang-rapist-20170217-gufe5o.html | access-date = 15 October 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title = A Current Affair's Taylor Auerbach tracks down a psychologist who became involved with a Skaf gang rapist in a NSW prison | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph|date= 5 March 2017 | url = https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/a-current-affair-track-down-psychologist-who-became-involved-with-skaf-gang-rapist/video/e92abb1571e5eaec6b68eda781104323 | access-date = 15 October 2020}}</ref> was working with children as a school counsellor at [[Malek Fahd Islamic School]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/malek-fahd-islamic-school-told-to-repay-11-million-by-nsw-education-minister-sarah-mitchell/news-story/b44109a6ea81891ff4892e6cb760684c |title=Malek Fahd Islamic School told to repay $11 million by NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell | first=John | last=Rolfe | date=15 June 2020|access-date=22 October 2020}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ashfield gang rapes]]
* [[1995 Okinawa rape incident]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sentence-slashed-gang-rapes-not-worst-category/2005/09/16/1126750110895.html "Sentence Slashed: "Gang rapes not 'Worst Category']
*[https://www.theguardian.com/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,797463,00.html The Guardian: Racially Motivated Crime and Punishment]
*[http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/archives/2002b_Monday16September2002.htm ABC TV's Four Corners: "...For being Lebanese"]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080617173411/http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s675775.htm ABC TV: Sentencing hearing of Bilal Skaf]
*[http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/ojs/index.php/TfC/article/view/599/546 "The 'Young Muslim Man' in Australian Public Discourse"] by Kiran Grewal, ''Transforming Cultures eJournal'', Vol.2, No.1, November 2007
*{{cite news|last=Davies|first=Lisa|title=What we learnt from Skaf case|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/what-we-learnt-from-skaf-case-20130118-2cyma.html|access-date=19 January 2013|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=19 January 2013}}

{{Australian crime}}
{{City of Canterbury-Bankstown topics|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:2000 crimes in Australia]]
[[Category:2000s in Sydney]]
[[Category:20th century in Sydney]]
[[Category:Child sexual abuse in Australia]]
[[Category:City of Canterbury-Bankstown]]
[[Category:Crime in Sydney]]
[[Category:Gang rape in Australia]]
[[Category:Hate crimes]]
[[Category:Incidents of violence against girls]]
[[Category:Incidents of violence against women]]
[[Category:Persecution of Christians by Muslims]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against white people]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence in Oceania]]
[[Category:Racism in Australia]]
[[Category:Rape in the 2000s]]
[[Category:Violence against children in Australia]]
[[Category:Violence against Christians]]
[[Category:Violence against women in Australia]]
[[Category:Violence in Sydney]]