Australia Arab organized crime was introduced in Australia after the mass immigration of Arab people after the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s to the end of the 1980s. Lebanese families across generations in both rural and urban areas, including changes over time in occupations, education, religion, community activities and family values. 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". The men in the red van also sexually assaulted them in the same fashion, as well as punching them and kicking them. The three of them lived with their parents in houses in the suburbs surrounding Bankstown. Indictable offenses are heard in a superior court in the presences of a jury. Those accompanying Bilal Skaf on 12 August, perhaps ten, perhaps eleven men, have not been brought to trial and many of those involved in the horrific spate of sexual assaults on 30 August 2000 have not been brought to trial. This meant that the Crown could seek my consent to cross-examine him to show that he was a man of bad character. His counsel acknowledged the force of what I had said but again said that he would be presenting no evidence. Finnane told these citizens that evidence might come out showing that those on trial were Lebanese by origin but that was irrelevant to the question of whether they had committed any offence. This was evidence of incriminating phone calls between him and Chami. Because the two complainants could only give vague descriptions of Hajeid and Ghanem, their counsel cross-examined the complainants to establish doubts about their identification. Stephen Gibbs for Daily Mail Australia Then it was reported from the police, that its investigators were trying to find a driver, who they believe transported the appellant from Brunswick, where the crime was committed, to the Carlton North area, where she was arrested, and said that he was wearing a dark-colored jacket with boxes in the back seat of his car, in addition to a breathing tube. Little is known regarding the health and lifestyle behaviours of Australians of Lebanese ethnicity. And that it happened because of incompetence and corruption.. RELATED: Manhunt under way after shooting in Sydney suburb. This was also the position for the assaults and the robberies committed on the two victims. Many among Australia's Lebanese community trace their families' arrival back to the 1960s and 1970s, when the number of Lebanese-born residents tripled to 33,424. They were classified as a Turk due to Lebanon being a province of the Ottoman Empire at that time. Perhaps the offenders did not believe any of the victims would ever tell the police. If these men, who are all still young, take notice of their brothers, sisters and cousins, they will settle down to a normal life and the criminal justice system will not see them again. Bilal Skaf was the eldest and was about 21 years of age. We started with 10-12 members, now we have 160 members and so many volunteering requests, Abbas says, adding that the membership has spread to diaspora communities in numerous countries, including Australia. All except Bilal Skaf are now out of jail. The improvement was remarkable Imagine what they would be capable of if they had a better start in life., PHOTOS:Wildfires Scorch Australia As Temperatures Reach Record Highs. None generated anything like the public attention these trials drew. Each of Ghanem and Hajeid's counsel put forward arguments that they had not been properly identified and were not present. So the problem we have now in Sydney is a ramification of what has been going on in Lebanon.. TV Finnnane sentenced Bilal Skaf to a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison with a minimum term of 40 years. new (2001) The Lebanese . The assailants broke the door and its lock into the archive room. In the face of such catastrophic ruin, the only option local residents had was to help. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. Unlike many of the rape cases of which I am aware, there was no previous contact between any of the perpetrators and the victims, except for the second one in which Mohammed Skaf selected a sixteen-year-old from his school to be a victim. Political news He told them they could expect there to be media publicity and that they should ignore anything they read outside court. There was no evidence that any offences were committed because of religious or cultural or racial reasons and, in fact, there had been no mention of religion at any time in the trial. In the witness box, she clutched a small doll in her hands and gave firm and clear evidence. I like Middle Eastern people. Bilal Skaf was charged with every instance of forced sexual intercourse by anyone in the gang on the basis that he was an accessory before the fact to every crime and was just as responsible as the man who carried it out. In the past there was a code among crime gangs in Sydney that bodies in the street were bad for business, says Michael Duffy, the author of Drive By, a new novel about a Lebanese crime family and the efforts of a bigoted, dispirited police force to lock them up. I gave that consent. Terror in Sydney: The Unspeakable Crimes of Bilal Skaf's Lebanese Rape Gang (Crime Documentary) Australian Lebanese families. The existence of criminal activity among these communities is not the issue. business I considered that I should say these words because it was important that the jury and anyone listening to the trial, including the accused, have a full realisation that a woman has to do nothing more than refuse consent. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Factors such as unemployment, education, socio-economic disadvantage and lack of access to services have more bearing than ethnicity on crime rates. This article (a transcribed speech by former Australian Police Detective Tim Priest) gives an important look at why there was "white riot" on the Cronulla beaches. By KAREEM CHEHAYEB February 27, 2023. 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. He was the gang boss and the organiser of everything that happened. As a policy, multiculturalism was introduced by immigration minister Al . sport Unwelcome at school, too much discipline at home, so where do these teenagers go to find respect? Trad asks. It was nearly midnight. He later pleaded guilty to some of the offences and when he did, I directed that he not be identified by his name. COVID-19 I directed that he be known only as 'H', but his identity was not revealed in this first trial. In 2002, people born in Australia were imprisoned at a rate of 156 per 100,000 while those born overseas were imprisoned at a rate of 146 per 100,000. The largest wave of migration from Lebanon occurred between 1976 and 1981 during the Lebanese Civil War. 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. A 44-year-old woman killed two Lebanese residing in Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria in the southeast of Australia. Neither Ghanem nor Hajeid gave evidence and their cases were run on the basis that the girls could not identify them but that, of course, became very difficult for them when Bilal Skaf gave evidence that placed them at the park. However, the victims' descriptions of the other men who attacked them were quite vague, as could be expected. Within these neighbourhoods lies the ravaged home of award-winning Lebanese-Australian journalist Rania Abouzeid. Lebanese Australians (Arabic: , French: australiens libanaise) refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese ancestry. (MORE:The Ones That Didnt Make It: Australia-Bound Refugees Languish in Indonesia), In the last few decades unfortunately we have not had peace in Lebanon, Pierre Semaan, of the Australian Lebanese Christian Foundation, tells TIME. The second trial had two accused only, Bilal Skaf and Mohammed Skaf, his younger brother. Knowing this much corruption gives me more reason not to leave Lebanon. I cant tell what some of the things are in the photos, what they once were. As for their killing, the police learned about it from citizens who told them that they had found Aboud quarreling in a side road in one of the citys suburbs. Ghanem's convictions for his participation in the attacks that were the subject of the first trial, however, were confirmed. Sexual intercourse without consent was the principal crime contemplated and committed. Crime families exchange gunfire and trade narcotics with apparent immunity; arrestees in Bankstown are 60 times more likely to use heroin than those in other parts in Australia. Frequently, whilst sitting in the dock, he clicked his fingers towards his counsel, summoning him over. Collins, J. She was then dumped at a train station after being hosed down. An estimate of the total Lebanese population in Australia, consisting of Lebanese-born and their descendants, is approaching 250,000. He extended his criminal activities and eventually became known as "the Lebanese . Luckily, a man came around the corner, saw her plight and approached her. Average rent in Canberra. The population is diverse, having a large Christian religious base, being mostly Maronite Catholics, while also having a large Muslim group of Sunni branch of Islam.. Lebanon, in both its modern-day form as the Lebanese state . There was no obvious reason. The earth-shattering explosion, caused by the unsafe storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at Beiruts port, damaged every part of the city of 2 million people. The 1997-98 statistics produce high alleged offender rates . Earlier we met Redfern-based Frank Hakim, the first major Lebanese criminal in Sydney, and younger men such as Louis Bayeh and Danny Karam. That is not the law. Im Lebanese Australian and Im proud of both parts of my identity. 34. In other words, each man forced his penis into her mouth and ejaculated. If I opened up my lunchbox and pulled out a Lebanese roll, I would get hassled. 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.. There was also evidence that each of the accused and the men in the red van abused the girls, calling them 'sluts' and threatened retribution on them if either of them had VD or AIDS. After being indecently assaulted on the train, she was then forced off the train and was taken up the steps of the Bankstown railway station. By Skaf did all the talking and suggested a trip in a car and puffing some marijuana. In my view, all of these men remain a continuing threat to the Sydney community and particularly to young women. That is my hope. wouldnt think twice tbh. It was non-stop, he says. A criminal trial commences with the Crown prosecutor calling evidence, after making a short opening address, then each of the accused in turn calls evidence in his case if he wishes to do so. I wouldnt even put the request through to Canberra that the Lebanese government wanted direct funding, because it would go nowhere., That level of overt corruption is only too familiar for ordinary Lebanese, who blame government negligence and mismanagement for the devastating blast. economy She does not have to fight to the death to protect herself from sexual assault. Skaf and the other two men made their acquaintance by speaking to them politely in the shopping centre. You cant fathom the despair and destruction., Kassis, an English teacher, is one of thousands of Beiruti residents who have been on the streets, cleaning the shopfronts and homes devastated by Tuesdays blast. 33. The Pursuit of Justice, published by New Holland Publishers, RRP $35, is available from all good book retailers or online at New Holland Publishers. The former ambassador is no stranger to Lebanese corruption, having fielded astonishing requests from Lebanese officials in his time there seeking Australian aid money for self-fulfilling purposes. It is often difficult to predict whether there will be rehabilitation. Bilal Skaf sat throughout the sentencing process looking as if he could not care less about any of it. The plan was to kidnap, degrade, sexually assault and humiliate. I then summed up the entire case, dealing with all the evidence, all the arguments and the law that applied. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. However, these crimes were of secondary importance. Another curious feature in the trial was Skaf's bold assertion that he was a man of good character. In analogy with Australia, Arab organized crime also came to Germany following the Lebanese Civil War. With Covid-19 restrictions preventing Lebanese Australians from holding in-person activities, such as fundraising events and protests, local activists like Maakasa are relying on Instagram and Facebook to generate support. Manorama Online Those involved in these crimes committed them between 10 August and 30 August 2000 on three separate occasions. So that putting a penis in the mouth of a woman, in law, was sexual intercourse. Much of that support is being directed virtually to a grassroots online fundraising drive based in London. The devastation in Beirut has profoundly touched Australias 250,000-strong Lebanese community. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. I remanded all of them in custody. When I came to reflect on the facts of this trial, I again found myself wondering what it was that caused Bilal Skaf and the others with him to behave in such a depraved and violent fashion against a completely helpless girl. The aim of this study is to compare . They were an attack on society, but why? I hope that those who have been released do rehabilitate or, at the very least, that they do not re-offend. 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! France National News Agency staff in Beirut found a broken . 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. they deserve nothing less and we'd be making the world a better place. On that day Bilal Skaf, Belal Hajeid and Mohammed Ghanem sat behind bullet-proof glass in the dock of a court room within Sydney's Downing Centre complex. I was lucky; I got a second chance. They wanted wide publicity. Relatives have legally . Coronavirus Culture 'I have thought of this over the years,' Finane writes. And given the history of government efforts to obtain information on race, Im not even sure its something we should be doing. America I merely imposed sentences on a number of offenders. The complainants clearly identified Skaf, whose counsel suggested to each complainant that she had consented to having sexual intercourse with him. I have no intention of attempting to justify my sentences. One upstanding group of Lebanese males got sentences up to 49 years prison for kidnapping girls on the street and raping them. 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. 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 . And an otherwise law-abiding majority erect a wall of silence when dealing with police they regularly accuse and sue for thuggery and racial profiling. [2], Arab organized crime was introduced in Australia after the mass immigration of Arab people after the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s to the end of the 1980s. Skaf was a small man, rather thin, with black hair and a sharp face. Life cannot. Its just amazing to see how much traction it got, Diana Abbas, director of Impact Lebanon, says. The Lebanese community leader says Sydney's legendary Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad (or MEOCS) should "never have been established in the first place - or at least not been given such a terrible title". It was because the police had given up fighting back. 4. I then had to give them quite complex directions about the facts in the trial and the law, which has its complexities. I will clean up, I will repair what I can repair, and then Ill live there. A former minister once asked me, hasnt the Australian embassy got a little aid budget? I asked what for, he said he wanted to put new street lighting on his street. Bartlem says that request was one of many, which included a Lebanese politician seeking all-expense-paid trips to Australia. Trad thinks the problem can be nipped in the bud by changing the way schools deal with Lebanese delinquents. 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. For thousands of Lebanese Australians residing in Lebanon, the opportunity to return to Australia at any point provides a psychological safety net. I wont be packing up., For Melki, staying in Lebanon isnt simply about a place of residence, its about justice. Worldwide pandemic lockdowns have only made it easier for Lebanese expats to coordinate. He also clicked his fingers towards my court officers, ordering them to get him water. As the French president Emmanuel Macron toured the devastated scenes in Beirut on Thursday, a Lebanese woman could be heard urging the president to not give money to the corrupt government. Macron replied, I guarantee you, this aid will not go to corrupt hands.. I thought she was a particularly brave young woman who refused to give in to any of these suggestions. 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. His co-accused on the other hand, were quiet and restrained in their manner. When the verdicts came in after the conclusion of this trial, I informed counsel that I would not sentence their clients until all trials concerning them had concluded. Lebanon's parliament has scrapped a law under which a rapist could be exempt from punishment if he married his victim, state media report. Bilal Skaf did most of the talking to the girls and called himself 'Adam'. Some experienced criminal lawyers also expressed disagreements with Finnane's sentences, claiming he had no regard to the Skaf brothers' rehabilitation. 26 May . When people have lost their homes and families, you dont think twice. 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