Younger brother of Skaf rapists found guilty using device to track man

The younger brother of notorious gang rapists Bilal and Mohammed Skaf has been found guilty of driving a stolen car and using a tracking device to monitor a man’s movements.

Skaf, 24, on Tuesday appeared before Burwood Local Court in an effort to fight two charges after he was arrested outside a western Sydney hotel in 2022.

The Greenacre man was arrested after driving to the scene in a stolen Audi which was sporting fake number plates - described in court on Tuesday as deceptive and realistic.

The court heard that Skaf and a group of men arrived in a convoy at the WM Hotel in Bankstown after tracking the movements of a man before they were intercepted by police.

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Skaf drove to the scene in a stolen car - with his defence arguing it could not be proven that he knew the car was stolen when he took control of it.

The car was bearing fake number plates, which Magistrate Glenn Bartley described as “quite professional” and similar to real plates.

Hadi Skaf at Burwood Local Court on Tuesday. NewsWire/Nikki Short. Credit: News Corp Australia

Skaf was found guilty on Tuesday of driving a stolen vehicle and using a tracking device to find an object without consent.

A series of other charges - including possessing a loaded firearm in public, being armed with intent to commit an assault and detaining someone in company with intent of gaining an advantage - were previously dropped.

Prosecutor Hazel Pais told the court that the two groups of men met up for “some sort of criminal activity” - though couldn’t specify the exact nature of it - before they arrived at the hotel.

She said that when police arrived, some of the men were covering their faces and were wearing gloves.

The iPhone being used to track the man was found inside the other car in the convoy - a hire car which was registered in Skaf’s name.

Skaf’s DNA was also found on the tracker, the court heard.

Ms Pais also said there was evidence the tracking device was set up and tested at Mr Skaf’s home.

The group was intercepted by police at the hotel, the court heard, with three of the men fleeing the scene.

Hadi Skaf was found guilty to two charges after he appeared at Burwood Local Court on Tuesday. Supplied. Credit: Supplied

Mr Skaf’s defence barrister Oussama Elfawal argued that the prosecution could not prove the case against him and that there were other hypotheses.

He argued it was possible the man was also part of the “conspiracy” and had consented to being tracked.

He also said it was a viable hypothesis that the man and Mr Skaf had set up and tested the tracking device at his house.

“The argument on the prosecution case is that there is no other reasonable inferences … I’m merely suggesting that there are other available inferences that can be drawn,” Mr Elfawal told the court.

He also argued that there was no evidence that Skaf affixed the stolen plates or knew the car was stolen.

However Mr Bartley rejected that argument, saying the circumstantial case has been made out.

He noted the phone used for tracking the man was in a hire car - which was in Skaf’s name and previously driven by him that day.

Skaf will next appear at Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court to July when he will face sentencing.

Convicted rapist Bilal Skaf. Supplied. Credit: News Corp Australia

Mohammed Skaf. Supplied. Credit: News Limited

Skaf’s elder brothers Mohammed and Bilal carried out a series of horrifying gang rapes over several days in Sydney in 2000. The youngest Skaf was not involved.

A gang of nine youths led by Bilal, who was 18 years old at the time, targeted young women and girls in the atrocious string of sexual assaults.

The rapes were so degrading that the judge described them as “worse than murder”.

Ringleader Bilal Skaf was sentenced to 55 years behind bars, which was revised to 38 years on appeal.

Mohammed Skaf served 21 years in prison before he was released on parole in October, 2021.