NSW: Sentence cut for Skaf brothers 'unbelievable'

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-2008
NSW: Sentence cut for Skaf brothers 'unbelievable'

SYDNEY, Dec 17 AAP - A cut in the sentences for the notorious Sydney gang-rapists Bilal
and Mohammed Skaf is unbelievable, the father of one of his victims says.

Bilal Skaf and his younger brother Mohammed Skaf on Wednesday failed in their bid to
overturn their convictions for the August 2000 pack rape of a teenager at Gosling Park,
in Sydney's west.

However, the pair won reductions in their sentences, with Bilal's parole eligibility
date brought forward by two years, and Mohammed's brought forward by 18 months.

The sentence cut prompted outrage from "Darren", the father of a teenage girl - identified
only as Miss C - who was raped at Bankstown by a pack including the Skaf brothers just
two weeks after the Gosling Park offence.

"It's unbelievable," Darren told Macquarie Radio after hearing of the sentence cut.

"I don't get it, what's the go with judges and their court of criminal appeal? Do they
love it? What's the go here?

"I would honestly like to meet and speak to one of these lawyers who defend these guys
- I know they're cowards, that's why they're defence lawyers.

"What, do they love criminals?"

During the Gosling Park appeal, the Skafs' lawyers had argued there was no long-term
physical injury suffered by that victim.

"You can't tell me raping someone isn't going to have a psychological effect," Darren said.

"My daughter has come out of it not so bad. I know one of the girls who has come out
of it, her life's a mess."

AAP eb/hn/maur/bwl

KEYWORD: SKAF FATHER

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