Posted on 08/15/2002 5:53:22 AM PDT by blam
Ringleader of rapist gang gets 55 years
August 15 2002 at 11:35AM
Sydney - A 20-year-old man was Thursday sentenced to 55 years in jail - 40 of them without hope of parole - for his role in organising a series of gang rapes of women around Sydney.
Relatives of the defendant reacted furiously to the sentence, screaming that he was innocent until the judge ordered the courtroom cleared.
The mother of the man, whose identity cannot be released under court order pending the sentencing of his brother in the same case, collapsed and was taken away by ambulance.
It was the heaviest sentence yet handed down for involvement in the series of well-organised gang rapes carried out in August and September 2000.
Screaming that he was innocent Altogether 14 men, all of Lebanese origin, have been convicted or pleaded guilty to gang rapes and sexual assaults involving seven victims in Sydney's west during August and September 2000.
Two other men have been handed prison terms of 23 and 18 years.
The crimes heightened racial tensions in Sydney as victims told of their attackers boasting they were Muslims and that they were targeting "Aussie pigs" with "Leb style" rapes.
Opinion polls showed a rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in the city linked to the rapes.
During Thursday's sentencing hearing, Judge Michael Finnane rebuked the defendant for his "amused contempt" as he sat, at times, smiling broadly from the dock, in the presence of his victims.
'The ultimate degradation of a woman is rape' Finnane said the brutality of the rapes resembled wartime atrocities, with one woman being "passed from hand to hand because she was a commodity".
He said another woman was staked out on the ground by a large group of men who laughed and jeered while the rapists took their turn.
"The ultimate degradation of a woman is rape," the judge said. "It's a crime of domination and contempt." - Sapa-AFP
Better idea, put them in an escape proof pool about four feet deep with just one very large croc then sit back and watch the fun.
You and I could probably reach a compromise. How about 55 years after the castration operation?
Yep....hes a fine young thang amongst prison inmates. He better find a good shade of lipstick!!!
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