Ashfield gang rapes
Encyclopedia
The Ashfield gang rapes were a series of attacks involving indecent assault
and rape
of possibly as many as eighteen teenaged women of varying ethnic backgrounds which were carried out in Ashfield
, New South Wales
, Australia
in late 2001 and over a six month period in 2002. A group of four Pakistani
brothers and a Nepal
i student were convicted and imprisoned for the rapes.
’s Director Of Current Affairs, their identities might have been reported on the Internet.
The four K brothers are the children of a Sydney general practitioner
, Dr Hasan K, of Pakistan
i origin. They had grown up in Pakistan and had been brought to Sydney in 2000 by their doting father, who provided them with a house in Ashfield. He unsuccessfully attempted in court to provide an alibi for his sons, and was facing perjury charges at the time of his death in November 2006.
The fifth rapist, Ram Shrestha, was a Nepal
ese immigrant and friend of the "K" brothers. At the time of the trial three of the K brothers were already serving a prison sentence for a previous rape. Defendant MSK divulged this information, which had been kept from the jury to prevent them from being biased against the defendants, in open court in a supposed attempt to have the trial aborted.
Ram Shrestha hanged himself in his prison cell after he was found guilty. The possibility of depriving the rapists of Australian citizenship and deporting them after release was discussed, but under Australian law citizenship can be revoked for children who became citizens by descent only in cases of migration-related fraud.
by Lebanese-Australian men led by Bilal Skaf
. One of the victims alleged that the rapists referred to the Lebanese rapes during the crime. Many of the crimes were videotaped by the perpetrators; the tapes were used as evidence in the trial.
The crimes were, in chronological order:
MMK is also alleged to have indecently assaulted a 15-year-old girl, Y, in November 2001, but she did not wish to go to trial. On 12 May 2002, he allegedly indecently assaulted two other girls whom police cannot locate, molesting them while he videotaped them.
The four brothers were sentenced to a total of 70 years imprisonment over the July 28 rapes. In late 2004 three of the brothers involved in the rape appealed against their sentences, but their appeals were rejected in November 2005. The fourth brother is continuing his sentence while the fifth rapist, Ram Shrestha, committed suicide.
In April 2006 the New South Wales Supreme Court increased the sentences of three of the brothers.
Justice Peter Hidden added a minimum of five years to MSK's sentence and a minimum two extra years to MAK's jail term for the February and July 14 rapes.
Their younger brother, MMK, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, to be served concurrently and in juvenile detention, for having consensual sex with an underage girl on the night of one of the rapes, as well as for an indecent assault in November 2001.
In October 2007 it was reported that three of the brothers were facing further rape charges. In March 2009 MRK pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl in 2002; he is due to be sentenced on 20 March 2009.
ed in Goulburn Correctional Centre
by a gang of eight other inmates. One was taken to Canberra Hospital with critical head injuries. Seven convicts appeared in court via videolink in March 2009 to face charges over the assault.
Indecent assault
Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in many jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime.Indecent assault was an offence in England and Wales under sections 14 and 15 the Sexual Offences Act 1956...
and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
of possibly as many as eighteen teenaged women of varying ethnic backgrounds which were carried out in Ashfield
Ashfield, New South Wales
Ashfield is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Ashfield is about 9 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Ashfield.The official name for the...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in late 2001 and over a six month period in 2002. A group of four Pakistani
Pakistani Australian
Pakistani Australians refers to someone born in Australia of Pakistani descent or to someone who has immigrated to Australia from Pakistan. Most Pakistani Australians are Muslims by religion though there is also a sizeable Christian minority....
brothers and a Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
i student were convicted and imprisoned for the rapes.
Rapists
The "KHAN" Brothers: MSK, MAK, MRK and MMK. Two of the brothers were juvenile at the time of the crimes; in line with regulations on juvenile criminals the brothers have been referred to in news reports by their initials only, although according to Jason Morrison, Macquarie Radio NetworkMacquarie Radio Network
Macquarie Radio Network is the name of the company that owns and operates 2GB and 2CH in Sydney and MTR 1377 in Melbourne. It is a publicly listed company, majority owned by John Singleton. The Chief Executive is Angela Clarke....
’s Director Of Current Affairs, their identities might have been reported on the Internet.
The four K brothers are the children of a Sydney general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
, Dr Hasan K, of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i origin. They had grown up in Pakistan and had been brought to Sydney in 2000 by their doting father, who provided them with a house in Ashfield. He unsuccessfully attempted in court to provide an alibi for his sons, and was facing perjury charges at the time of his death in November 2006.
The fifth rapist, Ram Shrestha, was a Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
ese immigrant and friend of the "K" brothers. At the time of the trial three of the K brothers were already serving a prison sentence for a previous rape. Defendant MSK divulged this information, which had been kept from the jury to prevent them from being biased against the defendants, in open court in a supposed attempt to have the trial aborted.
Outcome of the trial
MSK, MAK, MRK, and MMK were sentenced to between 15 and 24 years imprisonment.Ram Shrestha hanged himself in his prison cell after he was found guilty. The possibility of depriving the rapists of Australian citizenship and deporting them after release was discussed, but under Australian law citizenship can be revoked for children who became citizens by descent only in cases of migration-related fraud.
Crimes
Their crimes are similar to the Sydney gang rapesSydney gang rapes
The Sydney gang rapes were a series of gang rape attacks committed by a group of up to fourteen Lebanese Australian men led by Bilal Skaf against European Australian women and teenage girls, as young as 14, in Sydney Australia in 2000...
by Lebanese-Australian men led by Bilal Skaf
Bilal Skaf
Bilal Skaf is a serial gang rapist who led groups of Lebanese Australian men who committed gang rape attacks against women in 2000....
. One of the victims alleged that the rapists referred to the Lebanese rapes during the crime. Many of the crimes were videotaped by the perpetrators; the tapes were used as evidence in the trial.
The crimes were, in chronological order:
| Day | Month | Year | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | January | 2002 | Two sisters, 18 and 16, are taken to one of the brother's Ashfield house. MAK indecently assaults the younger one, but she manages to fight him off. MRK robs her. |
| 14 | February | Three girls are picked up by MMK and MAK and taken to the house, where they are supplied with alcohol. Tegan Wagner, 14, is repeatedly raped by MSK and MAK in one of the bedrooms while her friends are in the lounge room. She alleged MMK also raped her and hit her when she tried to fight him off. | |
| July | A 13-year-old girl, Cassie, has non-coerced, though legally non-consensual sex Statutory rape The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe sexual activities where one participant is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior... with MMK. MSK then rapes her twice, followed by Shrestha. |
||
| 28 | Two girls, aged 16 and 17, are lured, threatened at knifepoint and sexually assaulted at the Ashfield house by the five rapists. One of the victims was told that the other had been killed because she had resisted orders. These are the first girls to come forward, sparking the police investigation against the rapists. |
MMK is also alleged to have indecently assaulted a 15-year-old girl, Y, in November 2001, but she did not wish to go to trial. On 12 May 2002, he allegedly indecently assaulted two other girls whom police cannot locate, molesting them while he videotaped them.
The four brothers were sentenced to a total of 70 years imprisonment over the July 28 rapes. In late 2004 three of the brothers involved in the rape appealed against their sentences, but their appeals were rejected in November 2005. The fourth brother is continuing his sentence while the fifth rapist, Ram Shrestha, committed suicide.
In April 2006 the New South Wales Supreme Court increased the sentences of three of the brothers.
Justice Peter Hidden added a minimum of five years to MSK's sentence and a minimum two extra years to MAK's jail term for the February and July 14 rapes.
Their younger brother, MMK, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, to be served concurrently and in juvenile detention, for having consensual sex with an underage girl on the night of one of the rapes, as well as for an indecent assault in November 2001.
In October 2007 it was reported that three of the brothers were facing further rape charges. In March 2009 MRK pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl in 2002; he is due to be sentenced on 20 March 2009.
Cultural issues
It has been alleged, and indeed claimed by the rapists themselves, that the rapes originated in the clash of Pakistani and Australian cultures, that the rapists did not understand the notion of consent, or that they saw their victims as consenting on the basis of behaviour which Pakistani girls would not engage in. The judge in their trial reprimanded their lawyer in the trial for attempting to use this argument.Jail assault
On 9 February 2007 it was reported that the two eldest brothers had been assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ed in Goulburn Correctional Centre
Goulburn Correctional Centre
The Goulburn Correctional Centre is an Australian maximum and 'Super Maximum' security male prison located in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia....
by a gang of eight other inmates. One was taken to Canberra Hospital with critical head injuries. Seven convicts appeared in court via videolink in March 2009 to face charges over the assault.