Gang rape quartet showed extreme violence: prosecutor
Alex Mitchell |
Four men involved in the gang rape of a young woman in her bedroom face lengthy prison sentences as a prosecutor labelled their actions “an extreme form of violence”.
A jury in September found the four men guilty over the gang rape in April 2022, rejecting their claims she consented to group sex after one of them met her on Tinder.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, revealed the long-standing impact of the sexual assault, saying she is “scared of the world” and has lived in a state of distrust and bitterness since.
She had agreed to meet Adam Ahamd Kabbout, 27, who she found on the dating app.
But after the woman went to take a shower, found several other men she did not know in her home at Belmore, in southwest Sydney.
The woman told the trial she cried and repeatedly asked the men to stop as one by one three of them entered the bedroom of her apartment and raped her.
While a lawyer for one of the offenders argued there was “not a great degree of physical violence” in the incident because the woman was not punched, shoved or hit, crown prosecutor Danny Boyle dismissed attempts to downplay the incident.
“In a case such as this where there is non-consensual sex involving oral and vaginal intercourse, those acts are in themselves an extreme form of violence,” he told their sentence hearing on Friday.
Mr Boyle said Kabbout was aware the woman never consented to sex with other people when he invited the offenders over.
While it was not alleged Kabbout had sex with the woman, the jury found he encouraged the other men to do so.
It was not disputed Omar El-Sayed, 26, Rami Katlan, 26, and Mohammed Ali, 22, all had sex with the woman, but they argued she had consented.
“This is not a case where she agreed and then subsequently withdrew it, even at the stage he called the others, it would have been clear to him she was not agreeing,” Mr Boyle said.
Earlier in the NSW District Court, the woman described how she felt constant distrust, fear and bitterness and her nights were haunted by flashbacks of the rape.
“I’m scared of everything, I’m scared of the world, I’m scared of other people, I find danger in everything … no one understands what it truly means to have all the power taken from you,” she said.
“I lost my confidence, my self-worth and I lost myself, I’m living in the consequences of their actions.”
The woman, who had moved into her own place soon before the rape, said she no longer liked being alone.
El-Sayed and Ali were found guilty on two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and Katlan was convicted of one count of sexual intercourse without consent but cleared of two other charges.
As the crimes’ facilitator, Kabbout was found guilty of four counts of aggravated sexual assault in company but cleared on two other counts.
El-Sayed’s lawyer James Trevallion argued the rape was for a “short duration”, his client wore a condom and there was minimal violence, other than the victim being pushed onto the bed.
“(There was) not a great degree of physical violence … she wasn’t shoved or punched or hit violently,” he said.
Kabbout’s lawyer April Francis argued his charges should be considered less serious because he did not have physical contact with the victim.
All four men remain in custody before Judge Leonie Flannery sentences them on November 1.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
AAP