A woman who was gang-raped in her own bedroom in south-west Sydney says she is “scared of the world” and has lived in a state of distrust and bitterness since the assault.
A jury in September found four men guilty over the gang rape, rejecting their claims 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-standing impact of the April 2022 sexual assault, which followed her agreeing to meet Adam Ahamd Kabbout, 27, who she found on the dating app.
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After she went to take a shower, she found several other men she did not know in her Belmore home.
The woman told the trial she cried and repeatedly asked the men to stop as one by one three of them entered the bedroom of her apartment and raped her.
At a sentence hearing in the NSW District Court today, the woman said she felt constant distrust, fear and bitterness, and her nights were haunted by flashbacks of the rape.
“I’m scared of everything, I’m scared of the world, I’m scared of other people, I find danger in everything… no one understands what it truly means to have all the power taken from you,” she said.
“I lost my confidence, my self-worth and I lost myself, I’m living in the consequences of their actions.”
Omar El-Sayed, 26, and Mohammed Ali, 22, were found guilty on two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, while Rami Katlan, 26, was convicted of one count of sexual intercourse without consent but cleared of two other charges.
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While it was not alleged Kabbout had sex with the woman, the jury found he encouraged the other men to do so.
As the crimes’ facilitator, he was found guilty of four counts of aggravated sexual assault in company but cleared on two other counts.
It was not disputed El-Sayed, Katlan and Ali all had sex with the woman, but they argued she had consented.
The woman, who had moved into her own place shortly before the rape, said she no longer liked being alone and was constantly reminded of the incident.
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“Every time I’m alone I start to feel uneasy and wonder if there was anything I could do to stop those things from happening,” she said.
El-Sayed’s lawyer James Trevallion argued the rape was for a “short duration”, that his client wore a condom and there was minimal violence, other than the victim being pushed onto the bed.
“(There was) not a great degree of physical violence … she wasn’t shoved or punched or hit violently,” he said.
Kabbout’s lawyer April Francis argued his charges should be considered less serious as he did not have physical contact with the victim.
All four men remain in custody as Judge Leonie Flannery considers her sentence.
Readers seeking support can contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028.
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