Younger brother of Skaf rapist claims he had a ‘flick of a switch’ moment in jail – here’s what the magistrate had to say

The younger brother of notorious gang rapists Bilal and Mohammed Skaf has “flipped a switch” during his four-month pre-trial detention, a court has been told.

Hadi Skaf, 25, was found guilty earlier this year in the Burwood District Court, Sydney, of driving a stolen vehicle and using a tracking device to recover an item without consent.

Skaf was arrested outside the WM Hotel in Bankstown in 2022 after driving to the scene of the crime in what the court heard earlier this year was a stolen Audi Q7 SUV.

On Wednesday, the court was told that Judge Glenn Bartley had ruled that Skaf had met with a group of men “for the purpose of committing criminal activity against the victim”.

“The exact activity is unknown. They acted together with the intent to commit a criminal act,” police officer Hazel Pais told the court.

Ms Pais said Skaf was the driver of the car and the tracking device had been used to monitor the victim, known as AA, for five days until his arrest.

Ms Pais said in her statement that Skaf could not provide evidence of alleged mental health problems or remorse. He had previously stated that he did not know the car had been stolen.

These claims were disputed by Skaf’s lawyer Oussama Elfawal, who told the court that the sentencing report was unclear about his remorse.

“Your Honour has the opportunity to suggest that Mr Skaf has taken a positive turn in his life. There are no further offences and he has attended TAFE,” Mr Elfawal said.

‘My final conclusion is that the court cannot in any way be convinced (based on the criminal report) that he did or did not take responsibility for his actions.

“The reality is that this young man, prior to these charges, never served a full prison sentence. When he did, it was a push of a button and there were no further offenses.”

At the sentencing, Mr Bartley said he denied that a “switch had been flipped” during his captivity in Skaf and that “the length of the prison sentence is an excuse”.

“He (Skaf) claimed to be helping a friend and that he didn’t expect what it was – that’s not credible. That’s consistent with previous cases,” Mr Bartley said.

Mohammed Skaf (pictured) is one of Australia’s most notorious convicted rapists

Skaf was re-convicted on previous charges dating back to 2020, namely driving under the influence of an illegal drug, and one charge of supplying a prohibited drug.

For these cases he was given a 12-month conditional release and a heavy sentence respectively, and a six-month driving ban.

For the most recent charges, Mr. Bartley ordered that Skaf serve two concurrent parole periods and comply with substance abuse and mental health counseling.

Skaf was not involved in the crimes of his older brothers.

Skaf Gang Rape: A Timeline

Bilal Skaf (pictured) was the leader of a gang of rapists who rampaged through Sydney in the weeks leading up to the 2000 Olympic Games

August 10, 2000: Two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, were offered drugs and driven to the gang, who were waiting in Northcote Park in Greenacre. The pair were forced to perform sex acts on eight men.

August 12, 2000: Mohammed Skaf took a 16-year-old friend to meet his brother and other gang members in Gosling Park, Greenacre. Bilal Skaf and another man raped the girl in front of 12 men.

August 30, 2000: An 18-year-old woman was raped in Bankstown by Mohammed Skaf, who told her he was going to ‘fuck her Leb style’. She was taken to two other locations and raped and abused for six hours by 14 men.

September 4, 2000: Two 16-year-old girls were taken from the Beverly Hills train station to a home, where they were repeatedly raped by three men over a period of five hours.