A woman who was raped in her own bedroom says she is ‘afraid of the world’ and has been living in a state of mistrust and bitterness since the attack.
A jury found four men guilty of the gang rape in September, rejecting their claim that 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-lasting impact of the assault in April 2022, which followed her agreeing to meet Adam Ahamd Kabbout, 27, who she found on the dating app.
After showering, she found several other men she did not know at her home in Belmore, south-west Sydney.
The woman told the trial that she was crying and repeatedly asked the men to stop as three of them entered her apartment bedroom one by one and raped her.
During a hearing in the NSW District Court on Friday, the woman said she felt constant distrust, fear and bitterness, and her nights were haunted by flashbacks of the rape.
“I’m afraid of everything, I’m afraid of the world, I’m afraid of other people, I find danger in everything…no one understands what it really means to have all your power taken away from you,” she said.
‘I lost my self-confidence, my self-esteem and I lost myself, I live in the consequences of their actions.’
A jury found that Adam Kabbout, 27, (above) encouraged three men to have sex with the woman. Although it was not alleged that Kabbout had sex with the woman, the jury found that he had encouraged the other men to do so.
Omar El-Sayed’s lawyer argued that his client used a condom and that the rape was “short-lived.” El-Sayed is above
Mohammed Ali (above) was found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent
Omar El-Sayed, 26, and Mohammed Ali, 22, were found guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, while Rami Katlan, 26, was convicted of one count of sexual intercourse without consent but acquitted of two other charges.
Although it was not alleged that Kabbout had sex with the woman, the jury found that he had encouraged the other men to do so.
As a facilitator of the crimes, he was found guilty of four charges of aggravated sexual assault in company, but was acquitted of two other charges.
It was not in dispute that El-Sayed, Katlan and Ali all had sex with the woman, but they claimed she had consented.
The woman, who had moved out on her own shortly before the rape, said she no longer enjoyed being alone and was constantly reminded of the incident.
“Every time I’m alone, I start to feel uncomfortable and wonder if I could do something to prevent these things from happening,” she said.
Rami Katlan (above) was convicted of one charge of rape, but acquitted of two other charges
El-Sayed’s lawyer, James Trevallion, argued that the rape was “brief,” that his client wore a condom and that there was minimal force other than the victim being pushed onto the bed.
“(There was) not a great deal of physical violence… she was not pushed or punched or violently struck,” he said.
Kabbout’s attorney April Francis argued that his charges should be considered less serious since he had no physical contact with the victim.
All four men remain in custody while Judge Leonie Flannery considers her sentence.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redressal Support Service 1800 211 028