This is probably Katter's most famous and funny video, wait until the end. Fortunately she wasnt home at the time. A range of factors impinge upon criminal behaviour . The Lebanese-born population of Australia stood at 70,325 persons in the 1996 census. The identities of the men in the red van on 10 August have never been established. (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. Without Bilal Skaf leading them, perhaps they will come to see that there is a way forward. 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.. 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. None generated anything like the public attention these trials drew. Since then, migration has significantly reduced and growth rates have become steady. France That concern was also reflected in the Australian governments own pledge of $2m this week, with foreign minister Marise Payne announcing the money would be evenly split between the UN World Food Programme and the Lebanese Red Cross. Its just a mess. Abouzeid was in Melbourne at the time of the blast, relying on relatives to send photos of the destruction. SYDNEY (Reuters) - The children of refugees who fled Lebanon's civil war for peaceful Australia in the 1970s form a majority of Australian militants fighting in the Middle East, according to. 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***'. When they obliged, he crushed the foam cups and spread the debris onto the court floor. He had convictions for offences of dishonesty and it was thus easy for the Crown to establish that he was a man of bad character. Indictable offenses are heard in a superior court in the presences of a jury. The first community of Lebanese in Australia were Maronite Christians, quickly followed by a large Muslim community. None of these young women will ever forget their experience at the hands of this gang.'. This meant that the Crown could seek my consent to cross-examine him to show that he was a man of bad character. The Pursuit of Justice chronicles Finnane's legal career and lifelong campaigning for for social justice, particularly the treatment of those disadvantaged by the legal system. 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. Who could believe anyone would consent to being assaulted, robbed, abused and threatened? Criminals are coming together from a really diverse range of backgrounds to do bad things together. Nevertheless he acknowledges Middle Eastern organized crime in the city is not going to go away and more research is needed. The four men in this other car all raped this unfortunate young girl, who was then hosed down until she was soaking wet and forced out of the car that she was in near the Catholic Club at Lidcombe. 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. 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. Lebanese organized crime syndicates generally are active . The evidence of the two girls was probably sufficient in its own right to identify Bilal Skaf because he had many conversations with them on the night and he left a condom full of his semen in the park where he and others sexually assaulted these two girls. 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. And that it happened because of incompetence and corruption.. The criminal justice system judged and punished the perpetrators. I like Middle Eastern food. 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. He will remain a threat to the community. There was another man, later identified as Y, who took part in the events on this night. But with drive-by shootings, the nature of criminality in Sydney has changed. Then another car arrived with the offenders Chami and two other men, one man known as Nike Sam. He remained the dominant figure and was the person who directed everything that later happened on that night in the park at Greenacre. The Beqaa Valley, a fertile valley in east Lebanon and one of the country's most important farming regions, is also known for being one of the most important cannabis cultivating regions in the Middle East. Many of the rapists have never been identified and police fear there were more victims who did not come forward. Subscribe here: http://9Soci.al/chmP50wA97J Full Episodes: https://9now.app.link/uNP4qBkmN6 | The Facebook Gangster (2021)For investigative reporter Nick McK. I gave that consent. Australian society and government were mostly doing this until Bowen's speech. The Pursuit of Justice, published by New Holland Publishers, RRP $35, is available from all good book retailers or online at New Holland Publishers. By KAREEM CHEHAYEB February 27, 2023. Indeed, when he was being taken away after I imposed sentence on him, he turned to me and said, 'And I am innocent, you c***t!' sport 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. His co-accused on the other hand, were quiet and restrained in their manner. At no point, however, did he identify the men in the red van. 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. 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. From 1880 to the 1920s, mainly Maronite, Melkite and Orthodox Christians arrived on a small scale. Conviction of Skaf was inevitable. Lebanese mafia is a Colloquial term for organized crime groups which origin from Lebanon and Levant. 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. Worldwide pandemic lockdowns have only made it easier for Lebanese expats to coordinate. 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. We tried setting it up once but it didnt work, says Don Weatherburn, director of the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Lebanese-Christians have been immigrating to Australia for a very long time now and they have assimilated extremely well into Australian society. It was about 9pm at this stage. 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. 34. That sentence was modified several times upon appeal. The latest death toll stands at over 150 but is expected to climb. new National; Crime; How Skaf rape gang trapped their victims. 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. This was a criminal conspiracy involving two groups of men, that was carefully coordinated by mobile phones. More discrimination was reported by Middle-Eastern males compared with females on dealings with the police, disrespect, name-calling, and distrust. ASIAN ORGANISED CRIME IN AUSTRALIA A Discussion Paper by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority February 1995 (return to table of contents) 5. In the face of such catastrophic ruin, the only option local residents had was to help. That is not the law. Shimbiris VIP 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. 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 the early 1980s, as a young detective I was attached to the Drug Squad at . Bilal Skaf, however, elected to give evidence. The children of refugees who fled Lebanon's civil war for peaceful Australia in the 1970s form a. majority of Australian militants fighting in the Middle East, according to about a dozen counter-terrorism officials, security experts and Muslim community members. 'I have thought of this over the years,' Finane writes. Australia enjoys friendly bilateral relations with Lebanon, underpinned by strong people-to-people links. #23. In other words, each man forced his penis into her mouth and ejaculated. The shooting death of Mejid Hamzy has sparked fears of a gangland war in Sydney's western suburbs, where Middle Eastern crime gangs have long run rampant. The young girl was subjected to extensive questioning by counsel for each of the accused and repeatedly it was suggested to her that she had consented to everything and/or was exaggerating or lying. 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. Unidentified thieves broke into the headquarters of Lebanon's state news agency and stole a server containing its photo archive, officials say. I cannot recall any other evidence being presented by him or on his behalf. Criminal organizations however often transcend religious and cultural barriers, with members of the Sunni communities all involved in the same criminal organizations.[3]. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. For most of his career, Finnane was not well known outside legal circles but that changed rapidly and forever when he presided over the Skaf rape trials. Significant numbers of their families served in Australian forces during World War I. Expat families: 3.413 USD. Lebanon's national archives are located in a building that houses two ministries. The way we have been connecting is through Slack, getting visuals out on social media to attract peoples attention, and direct people in a very structured way as to how they can help, she explains. newspaper The girls in the car were very concerned at this point, but too scared to get out and run away. She was reading a book of English literature, when a group of men led by Mohammed Skaf surrounded her and commenced to assault her indecently. A large number of former Lebanese citizens immigrated to several major German cities under political asylum and refugee status. There was no obvious reason. However, the website of the Voice of Lebanon radio station in Melbourne, mentioned important information, accompanied by two pictures of the dead, and a summary of the information that the offender was a friend of the assassinated Tony Yazbek and she has a 10-year-old daughter, who lives with her mothers grandmother, and that the late Sarkis Abboud was a victim of his presence with his friend. At that time, according to the radio. The trial was quite tense. Another curious feature in the trial was Skaf's bold assertion that he was a man of good character. World Why did the gang first of all go to a shopping centre at Chatswood? I also told them to put out of their minds any religious or racial views they had. 5 Brian Lipscomb Skaf used condoms and threw them on the ground. 'All of them were examples of depravity and cruelty. Lebanon was still politically dysfunctional and rivalries had left it without a president for most of 2016. "(Ghazal) said on the show that if he . 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. Australia's law defines rape as "unlawful sexual act with another person by force; without their consent." The rapists' record tape a great amount of their rape and this was used in court as evidence. After finishing school, Basha became involved in more serious crimes. Bilal Skaf and up to eleven other men who were never identified, then turned up in a van sometime later. The men in the van departed quickly and the man took her to his flat, calmed her down and helped her call a friend who eventually came and took her home. 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. 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. He extended his criminal activities and eventually became known as "the Lebanese . 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. I also told the jury that 'this is not a court of morals' and explained that they might not approve of the conduct of some of the participants because they thought they were acting immorally, but that was not the question at all. In the case of the Lebanese in Australia , specifically Sydney, they took this to another level and built a bad reputation in a number of areas: organised crime, petty crime (robbing and beating up people), questionable business practices (famous for not paying for services rendered or under delivering). By 2016, the year of Australia . Im Lebanese Australian and Im proud of both parts of my identity. He told them they could expect there to be media publicity and that they should ignore anything they read outside court. It was important that I told the jury this because each of the girls had certainly agreed to get in the white van. I have no intention of attempting to justify my sentences. 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. 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. A lot of the racism against Lebanese people in Australia however dates to before 9/11. The . Drive-bys were virtually unheard of in Sydney until the mid-1990s, when the sons and grandsons of hardworking Lebanese migrants emerged as serious players in a world of organized crime, hitherto dominated by Vietnamese and Calabrian gangs. Frequently, whilst sitting in the dock, he clicked his fingers towards his counsel, summoning him over. Finnane dealt with sadistic rapists before and after the Skaf cases. Bilal Skaf raped her vaginally and another man, whom she could not identify, also raped her vaginally. 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