A woman who was gang-raped in her own room says she is “scared of the world” and has lived in a state of mistrust and bitterness since the assault.
In September, a jury found four men guilty of gang rape, rejecting their claims that she consented to group sex after one of them met her on Tinder.
The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, revealed the long-standing impact of the April 2022 sexual assault, which followed her agreeing to meet Adam Ahamd Kabbout, 27, whom she found on the app. quotes.
After taking a shower, he found several other men he didn’t know at his home in Belmore, in Sydney’s southwest.
The woman told the trial that 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 sentencing hearing in the New South Wales District Court on Friday, the woman said she felt constant distrust, fear and bitterness, and that her nights were haunted by memories 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,” he said.
“I lost my confidence, my self-esteem and I lost myself, I am living the consequences of his actions.”
A jury found that Adam Kabbout, 27, (above) encouraged three men to have sex with the woman. While it was not alleged that Kabbout had sexual relations with the woman, the jury found that he encouraged the other men to do so.
Omar El-Sayed’s lawyer argued that his client used a condom and that the rape was of “brief duration.” El-Sayed is up
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 found guilty of one count of sexual intercourse without consent, but acquitted of two other charges.
While it was not alleged that Kabbout had sexual relations with the woman, the jury found that he encouraged the other men to do so.
As a facilitator of the crimes, he was convicted of four counts of aggravated sexual assault in a business, but acquitted of two other charges.
It was not disputed that El-Sayed, Katlan and Ali had sexual relations with the woman, but they argued that she had given consent.
The woman, who had moved into her own home shortly before the rape, said she no longer liked being alone and was constantly reminded of the incident.
“Every time I’m alone I start to feel uncomfortable and wonder if there’s anything I can do to prevent those things from happening,” she said.
Rami Katlan (above) was found guilty of one count of rape, but acquitted of two other charges.
El-Sayed’s lawyer, James Trevallion, argued that the rape was of “brief duration,” that his client used a condom and that there was minimal violence other than the victim being pushed onto the bed.
“(There was) no great degree of physical violence…she was not pushed or hit violently,” 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.
The four men remain in custody while Judge Leonie Flannery considers their sentence.
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National Support Service for Reparation and Sexual Abuse 1800 211 028