By Within these neighbourhoods lies the ravaged home of award-winning Lebanese-Australian journalist Rania Abouzeid. The girl was just sixteen years old. The ultra-rich lost 10% of their wealth in 2022, study finds, Devin Booker delights against the Hornets, Russian internet celebrity posts 700-year-old holy tree naked! Some experienced criminal lawyers also expressed disagreements with Finnane's sentences, claiming he had no regard to the Skaf brothers' rehabilitation. Earlier we met Redfern-based Frank Hakim, the first major Lebanese criminal in Sydney, and younger men such as Louis Bayeh and Danny Karam. He writes that one suggested if sentences as large as that imposed on Bilal Skaf were allowed to stand rapists would in future murder their victims. The main center of Arab organized crime is Sydney, with a significant community of 120,000, followed by Melbourne. . None of the accused or the victims had been drinking alcohol and none had been taking drugs, even though having marijuana was an inducement offered to the two girls. The gang assaulted the two girls, by punching and kicking them and, of course, by dragging them across a park by the neck. What they were asked to decide was whether these three men, or any one of them, had committed the criminal offences with which they had been charged and they could only decide the accused had committed those offences, or any of them, if they were unanimously satisfied of that beyond reasonable doubt. Five computers were stolen along with the servers, Lebanese TV channel LBCI reported. During her ordeal the woman was called an 'Aussie pig', told she was going to get it 'Leb-style' and asked if 'Leb c*** tasted better than Aussie c***'. Stephen Gibbs for Daily Mail Australia. But to this day Finnane is regularly asked about the Skaf case, sometimes by strangers, at social functions and on other unexpected occasions. They also robbed the girls. Before we can solve it we need to understand it, he says, and Im not sure we do.. I like Middle Eastern people. Rebecca Maakasa, confined in Melbournes lockdown, is connecting through social media to the Lebanese diaspora to offer whatever assistance she can, Its like an apocalyptic world, Sydney-born Yasmin Kassis describes. Each girl denied this and gave evidence that Skaf, and those with him in the white van, persistently put pressure on them to engage in oral sex in the van on the way to Greenacre. I continue to hold that view. So the problem we have now in Sydney is a ramification of what has been going on in Lebanon.. National News Agency staff in Beirut found a broken . 'What caused the unprecedented public interest in the Skaf trials, what set them apart from all other sexual assault trials, was the repeated attacks in a short time frame by a gang with a carefully planned strategy,' Finnane writes. Skaf was a small man, rather thin, with black hair and a sharp face. Unidentified thieves broke into the headquarters of Lebanon's state news agency and stole a server containing its photo archive, officials say. From the outset, the City of Bankstown in south-western Sydneys sprawling migrant belt is a picture of multiculturalism. Why did those who joined him, become involved? Few crimes in recent Australian history have stirred more community anger and fear than a series of pack rapes committed by more than a dozen young Lebanese men in Sydney's west 18 years ago. TV Finnnane sentenced Bilal Skaf to a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison with a minimum term of 40 years. With Lebanons economy in tatters, led by a government widely accused of corruption, international donors and diaspora networks are the only hope for desperate Beirutis facing a food shortage and lack of shelter. Finnane has compared the Skaf gang's depravity to outrages committed by invading armies in times of war. J., Noble, G. Poynting, S. and Tabar, P. (2000) Kebabs, Kids, Cops and Crime. 'I do not think it is correct. The most common crimes involve physical altercations, trespassing, burglary, and damaging public or private property. Each of Ghanem and Hajeid's counsel put forward arguments that they had not been properly identified and were not present. Latest news 'These were not random attacks and, in my view, they were aimed at creating terror in the community. Luckily, a man came around the corner, saw her plight and approached her. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. It is often difficult to predict whether there will be rehabilitation. Pluto Press, Annandale NSW. Lebanese families across generations in both rural and urban areas, including changes over time in occupations, education, religion, community activities and family values. 'Each sentence was framed so that there could be some hope of release but, in my mind, the protection of the community was more important than early release. Australian police have arrested more than 200 people involved in organised crime after infiltrating an encrypted messaging app that opened up nearly 25 million messages about "industrial-scale". Men of Middle Eastern appearance banteramicably in Arabic within tea rooms and coffee shops, while women wearing headscarves, hijabs and, on the odd occasion, burqas wheel prams through Centro, Bankstowns sparkling white shopping center. In the third trial, the accused were Bilal Skaf, Mohammed Skaf, Mohammed Ghanem and Mahmoud Chami. In Germany these clans mostly settled in Berlin, Bremen and Essen where they became involved in narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, extortion, prostitution, illegal gambling, car theft, money laundering and armed robbery. The evidence showed Mohammed Skaf to be a treacherous bully who betrayed the trust of the victim and made her, a sixteen-year old school girl, available to his brother and ten or eleven other men. . Many of these diaspora networks, including Impact Lebanon, emerged following mass anti-government protests in Lebanon in October 2019. The criminal justice system judged and punished the perpetrators. In this case, only Bilal Skaf gave evidence. The Ryan-inspired OCR had just six crimes. Some people believe that Melbourne gangs are behind the new wave of crimes, but the numbers tell us that most unique offenders are Australia-born youths between the ages of 15 to 25. The Lebanese-born population of Australia stood at 70,325 persons in the 1996 census. Malayalam News Confined at home due to Victorias lockdown, Maakasa has taken to social media to connect with others in the Lebanese diaspora across the world and offer assistance however she can. There were a series of instances of forced oral intercourse by each of the accused men and H, as well as Y and the men in the red van. You just want more, Basha says. 5 Brian Lipscomb His counsel acknowledged the force of what I had said but again said that he would be presenting no evidence. The girls in the car were very concerned at this point, but too scared to get out and run away. Our initial goal was 10,000. If the Crown proved to the satisfaction of the jury and beyond reasonable doubt that it was done without consent, then the Crown case on that charge was established. The Skaf gang used cunning methods to lure young women during a terrifying rampage in southwestern Sydney which changed the city forever. 18:49 EST 27 May 2018. In analogy with Australia, Arab organized crime also came to Germany following the Lebanese Civil War. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. When he gave evidence, Bilal Skaf was cocky in his manner and almost contemptuous of the Crown prosecutor. business In my view, all of these men remain a continuing threat to the Sydney community and particularly to young women. Russia By this time she was hysterical. Each of them also denied agreeing at any time, in the van or in the park, to oral sex with these men and the men in the red van. 2. That is not the law. The protests inspired Lebanese abroad to get involved, prompting would-be activists to connect virtually and volunteer. He will remain a threat to the community. My sentence on him was substantially reduced by the Court of Criminal Appeal, which also reduced the sentences on some of the others involved, but not all of them. The police arrested the perpetrator of the crime as she climbed to the tram, after people called who reported a woman with blood. EXTRACT: After the sentences were imposed, many people would say things like, 'I'm glad you got those Lebs,' but I found myself trying to explain that I did not 'get those Lebs' at all. However, although these cases attracted some media attention while the trials were proceeding, they passed largely with little comment.'. In my time there, Australia gave millions [to aid efforts in Lebanon], he says, explaining that Australian funds are transferred directly through the head offices of UN agencies or humanitarian organisations. Finnane had been a judge of the New South District Court for a little more than a year when appointed to hear the Skaf gang trials, the first of which commenced on December 13, 2001. They are also willing to purchase from Chinese importers and to wholesale to other groups, such as Romanian and Lebanese dealers. Without Bilal Skaf leading them, perhaps they will come to see that there is a way forward. I think the sentences struck a chord with the public generally because the attacks were predatory and carefully planned. Social media has been very important pages connected to diaspora networks create a ripple effect, which helps spread the word and mobilise the Lebanese diaspora across cities and continents.. I was always hopeful that the people I sentenced in other cases might see the point of rehabilitation and, undoubtedly, some of them did. But material losses, even huge painful ones, are things that one day can be replaced. Crime 0 120 46.11 Crime rates in Australia Safety in Australia Contributors: 7102 Last update: February 2023 These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 3 years. Major Joyce Harmer of the Salvation Army was in court as a support person for her and I am sure this helped her greatly when she was giving evidence. Bilal Skaf again had vaginal sex with her. Since then, migration has significantly reduced and growth rates have become steady. Australia In Sydney, Disaffected Lebanese Kids Caught in Spiraling Gang Violence Facing racism at school and pressure at home, children from Middle Eastern families in Australia are dragged. Bilal Skaf was one of the people who then approached the victim whom he grabbed by the hair. This went on for some time and eventually Mohammed Skaf used a mobile phone to summon his brother Bilal. With all of us getting used to working on Zoom and Slack, its become easier to work with people from different cities.. Lebanon's murder and theft crimes have increased by 144 percent amid the ongoing national crisis compared to the same period last year, according to a study conducted by the Beirut-based . UAE I do not believe he will ever acknowledge the seriousness of what he did. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This trial concluded on 11 July 2002 and concerned events of 12 August 2000, only two nights after the attacks on the two girls from Chatswood. Look what happened in Germany in the 1940s., Selda Dagistanli, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Western Sydney, agrees that, When you attach criminal behavior to ethnicity, thats racist, and it makes you question the motivation of the people saying it., New South WalesPolice Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas says the problem in Bankstown and other parts of southwestern Sydney is not as bad as it seems. The same trial process occurred as happened in the first trial and during my summing up I made the same remarks about the entitlement of a woman to say no. When I commenced the summing up, I said this: This is the twenty-first century since the birth of Christ; we are not in the nineteenth, eighteenth or seventeenth centuries. One of them was a fourteen-year-old boy with an intellectual disability who was known, following directions by me, as H, and two brothers, Mahmoud Sanoussi and Mohammed Sanoussi. Growing up in western Sydney, I was bullied and picked on for everything I did and stood for. She was then dumped at a train station after being hosed down. The . It was nearly midnight. Lebanese Migration to Australia There have been three main waves of immigration from Lebanon to Australia. Another curious feature in the trial was Skaf's bold assertion that he was a man of good character. The evidence of the two girls was given in closed court hearings but I permitted the press to have access to the transcripts of the evidence on the basis that the names of the two girls were not revealed and no photographs were taken of them. He remained the dominant figure and was the person who directed everything that later happened on that night in the park at Greenacre. I will clean up, I will repair what I can repair, and then Ill live there. Lebanese Australians (Arabic: , French: australiens libanaise) refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese ancestry. Taxpayers can be assured their money wont end up in the pockets of corrupt officials, according to Lex Bartlem, who served as Australian ambassador to Beirut between 2010 and 2014. The crime was comparable to Lebanese gang rapes in Sydney. The identities of the men in the red van on 10 August have never been established. Present governor of the State of NSW is a distinguished Lebanese-Christian woman. The local people were all blown up and the tragic end was released | International | Sanli News Network SETN.COM, Eleven-year-old Georgia wins on The Voice Kids. Counsel for each of the other accused, as well as the Crown, then attacked Bilal Skaf in cross-examination, suggesting he was a liar. Melbourne experiences a moderate crime rate and is generally considered a safe city for living and travelling. The blast flattened the neighbourhoods closest to the port, such as Gemmayze and Mar Mikhael tourist hotspots and the heart of Beiruts famous nightlife, now as haunting as Stalingrad. The crime shocked the small town of Ashford and devastated the Australian South Sea Islander community of Elizabeth. All three men put pressure on her to agree to have sex with them but she refused. Bilal Skaf sat throughout the sentencing process looking as if he could not care less about any of it. I wont be packing up., For Melki, staying in Lebanon isnt simply about a place of residence, its about justice. Vietnamese Organised Crime in Australia . Football 'Many of the victims, I am sure, will be affected by these crimes for the whole of their lives. Little is known regarding the health and lifestyle behaviours of Australians of Lebanese ethnicity. The press was also prevented from providing any likenesses or descriptions of the accused or their racial origins. But these days its worse. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has said the government of Malcolm Fraser made a mistake in bringing Lebanese refugees to Australia in the 1970s, saying they formed a majority of . In certain parts of the region, life is structured around extended clan families, a number of whom are active in criminal activities such as narcotics trafficking, kidnapping for ransom and car theft. Many months later he pleaded guilty to a series of sexual offences that included the events of this night. But below the surface of this lower-middle class success story is a Middle Eastern ghetto terrorized by members of its community. In other words, each man forced his penis into her mouth and ejaculated. Restaurateurs in Bankstown pay up to $50,000 a year in protection money or risk having their premises firebombed, while Shia and Sunni Muslims exchange invectives and blows on the streets. That group, which became known as the 'Skaf gang' after their leader, Bilal Skaf, went on a 20-day rampage in which four young women were violated in three pack rapes shortly before the 2000 Olympics. wouldnt think twice tbh. America It was important that I told the jury this because each of the girls had certainly agreed to get in the white van. I cant tell what some of the things are in the photos, what they once were. His demeanour in the court room said that. I consider my sentences imposed on the members of this gang were warranted. I said to myself, I cant see this anymore, theres nothing I can do here, Im just going to go to the hospital to give blood and see how I can help.. With black hair and a sharp face judged and punished the perpetrators as he. 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