Latest news with #TroyEdwards
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- The Guardian
Two teens accused of six-hour gang-rape of 17-year-old girl in Sydney denied bail
Two men accused of gang raping a teenage girl for hours in a vehicle remained expressionless while denied bail for being deemed a danger to the community. Adam Abdul-Hamid, 19, and an 18-year-old male who cannot be legally named are among four youths accused of the six-hour-long sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl at multiple Sydney locations in December 2024. Both appeared by audio-visual link at separate court hearings on Tuesday when their bail was denied. At Campbelltown local court, magistrate Peter Thompson found the risk that Abdul-Hamid posed to the community if he was released from Silverwater prison could not be mitigated. Magistrate Rosheehan O'Meagher at Parramatta children's court made similar findings against the 18-year-old. Bail was rejected despite a raft of strict conditions proposed for each co-accused by their barrister Troy Edwards SC. Crown prosecutor Abby Lee van der Velde argued Abdul-Hamid should not be released because he was the only adult present during the alleged 'prolonged and sustained sexual assault'. The barber shop employee had not tried to intervene and had allegedly taken the victim's phone to send himself a text message, Thompson heard. Material provided by his family to the court describing the 19-year-old as a responsible and affectionate person lay in contrast to the seriousness of the charges, van der Velde said. Edwards unsuccessfully tried to argue the bail conditions were enough to mitigate any risk his client posed. He described the case against his client as 'weak', saying there was no evidence he agreed to participate in the alleged crime. 'Do you want to have a turn?' Abdul-Hamid was allegedly asked, according to a police facts sheet seen by the court. 'No, I'm alright,' he allegedly replied. In a later covertly recorded phone conversation, Abdul-Hamid inculpated the other males involved in the alleged assault, the court was told. Despite seven months elapsing since the alleged assault, the 19-year-old had not tried to contact the complainant or his co-accused, Mr Edwards said. Abdul-Hamid has been hit with five charges of aggravated sexual assault in company but has yet to enter any pleas. Two of these alleged offences involve the use of a hair brush. Outside court, the 19-year-old's mother and two brothers wore face masks and shielded themselves with umbrellas, swearing at reporters before getting into a waiting car and driving off. The 18-year-old male - who has been hit with nine charges of aggravated sexual assault in company - allegedly joined the sexual assault after being told about it through Facetime, Ms O'Meagher was told. As his mother and partner watched in court, van der Velde said the youth had been captured on CCTV, placing him at the scene. Police allege that the girl was initially approached by a 16-year-old boy, unknown to her, at a shopping centre in Liverpool on a Sunday evening. The boy allegedly asked to be driven to a park at a nearby suburb, which the victim agreed to, on the understanding he would get out of the car. At the park, two other males got into the car and allegedly also sexually assaulted her. A fourth male arrived in another car and the assaults continued as the girl was driven around for six hours, investigators allege. The 16-year-old alleged instigator of the rape has been charged with 19 sexual assault offences and five sexual touching offences. A 14-year-old has been charged with 10 offences including seven aggravated sexual assault offences. Abdul-Hamid's matter will return to court on 13 August. His three co-accused will have their cases briefly heard on 11 August.
News.com.au
24-06-2025
- News.com.au
Fresh details of alleged gang rape as 19yo denied bail
WARNING: Distressing content One of four teenagers charged over the alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old in Sydney has been denied bail, with a court hearing details of the harrowing allegations. Four teenagers – the youngest aged just 14 – have been charged with the sexual assault of the girl in Sydney's west in December last year. Police allege the attack lasted more than six hours. Adam Abdul-Hamid, 19, was arrested at a Heckenberg home in Sydney's southwest last week and charged with five counts of aggravated sex assault. He on Tuesday appeared via videolink in Campbelltown Local Court in an attempt to be freed on bail, with the court hearing details of the allegations. The court was told the prosecution alleges that Abdul-Hamid was involved in the 'prolonged and sustained' sexual assault of the girl. It's been alleged that during the incident, Mr Abdul-Hamid took the girl's mobile phone and sent a text message to himself, the court was told. The Crown prosecution opposed his release on bail, citing the risk of further alleged offending, the danger to the community and the alleged victim, and the risk of communicating with his co-accused. The court was told that during the ordeal it was alleged that Mr Adbul-Hamid was asked by one of his co-accused: 'Do you want to have a turn.' He responded, 'No, I'm all right,' the court was told on Tuesday. Outside court last week, his solicitor said Mr Abdul-Hamid maintained his innocence. His barrister Troy Edwards SC on Tuesday told the court that the onus was on the prosecution to prove a joint criminal enterprise. Mr Edwards argued that Mr Abdul-Hamid had a clean criminal record, he had not tried to abscond in the seven months since the alleged incident and described the Crown case as 'weak'. He also proposed bail conditions that amounted to home detention. Officers allege the 17-year-old girl was at a Liverpool shopping centre on December 15 when she was approached by an unknown 16-year-old boy. Police allege the male had no prior contact with the girl before striking up a conversation with her. It is alleged the 16-year-old followed the girl to her car, and she reluctantly allowed him into her vehicle before he allegedly sexually assaulted the woman. Police allege the teen then made a video call to his co-accused. The girl allegedly agreed to drive the man to a park in Sadleir on the understanding he would get out of the car when they arrived. It is alleged that instead, when they got to the park, another two men got into the car and sexually assaulted the girl. They were allegedly soon joined by a fourth man who arrived in another car, then continued the assault as the girl was driven around. Police allege the group left the girl in her car about six hours later at 11.30pm. She contacted a friend and reported the alleged attack to police. The court was told on Tuesday that a hairbrush was allegedly used during the alleged assault. Magistrate Peter Thompson said they were 'certainly serious' allegations that 'strike at the heart of matters that go to the protection of the community'. 'At this stage, the risk remains unacceptable and bail will be refused,' Mr Thompson said. Outside court, Mr Abdul-Hamid's family members shielded themselves from the media with umbrellas as they hastily exited towards a waiting car, dumping the umbrellas on the ground as the vehicle took off. Mr Abdul-Hamid will appear in court again in August.
Daily Mail
24-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Shocking new allegations emerge about the alleged gang rape of a girl in Sydney - as two of the accused front court
Two men accused of gang raping a teenage girl for hours in a vehicle remained expressionless while denied bail for being deemed a danger to the community. Adam Abdul-Hamid, 19, and an 18-year-old male who cannot be legally named are among four youths accused of the six-hour-long sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl at multiple Sydney locations in December 2024. Both appeared by audio-visual link at separate court hearings on Tuesday when their bail was denied. At Campbelltown Local Court, Magistrate Peter Thompson found the risk that Abdul-Hamid posed to the community if he was released from Silverwater prison could not be mitigated. Magistrate Rosheehan O'Meagher at Parramatta Children's Court made similar findings against the 18-year-old. Bail was rejected despite a raft of strict conditions proposed for each co-accused by their barrister Troy Edwards SC. Crown prosecutor Abby Lee van der Velde argued Abdul-Hamid should not be released because he was the only adult present during the alleged 'prolonged and sustained sexual assault'. The barber shop employee had not tried to intervene and had allegedly taken the victim's phone to send himself a text message, Mr Thompson heard. Material provided by his family to the court describing the 19-year-old as a responsible and affectionate person lay in contrast to the seriousness of the charges, Ms van der Velde said. Mr Edwards unsuccessfully tried to argue the bail conditions were enough to mitigate any risk his client posed. He described the case against his client as 'weak', saying there was no evidence he agreed to participate in the alleged crime. 'Do you want to have a turn?' Abdul-Hamid was allegedly asked, according to a police facts sheet seen by the court. 'No, I'm alright,' he allegedly replied. In a later covertly recorded phone conversation, Abdul-Hamid inculpated the other males involved in the alleged assault, the court was told. Despite seven months elapsing since the alleged assault, the 19-year-old had not tried to contact the complainant or his co-accused, Mr Edwards said. Abdul-Hamid has been hit with five charges of aggravated sexual assault in company but has yet to enter any pleas. Two of these alleged offences involve the use of a hair brush. Outside court, the 19-year-old's mother and two brothers wore face masks and shielded themselves with umbrellas, swearing at reporters before getting into a waiting car and driving off. The 18-year-old, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offences, appeared by audio-visual link at Parramatta Children's Court on Tuesday. The 18-year-old male - who has been hit with nine charges of aggravated sexual assault in company - allegedly joined the sexual assault after being told about it through Facetime, Ms O'Meagher was told. As his mother and partner watched in court, Ms van der Velde said the youth had been captured on CCTV, placing him at the scene. What was allegedly done to the 17-year-old girl was outlined in a nine-page police statement of facts. The 18-year-old applied for bail through his barrister, Troy Edwards SC, who had earlier unsuccessfully sought release for his client's alleged co-offender, Adam Abdul-Hamid. Mr Edwards tendered an affidavit written by the accused rapist's mother, who was sitting in court next to the boy's father. Asked by magistrate Rosheehan O'Meagher about the strength of the Crown case, Mr Edwards said: 'It's not submitted it's a weak prosecution case.' A prosecutor said the 18-year-old had been present when a 16-year-old approached the alleged victim at Westfield Liverpool on December 15 last year. The alleged victim had later been subjected to a 'sustained and serious assault' in which the 18-year-old taken part, the court heard. The prosecutor said the 18-year-old contacted the other males by phone after leaving the scene of the alleged rapes. Mr Edwards said the strength of the prosecution case depended in part on whether the person seen with the victim at Westfield was the same person who later assaulted her. He said his client had no criminal record convictions and had spent seven months in the community until his arrest on June 17. In that time, the 18-year-old had made no attempt to contact the alleged victim, Mr Edwards said. Each of the charges of aggravated sexual assault in company carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Ms O'Meagher described the Crown case as 'strong' and said there were no bail conditions which could offset the risk to the community if the teen was released. If the rape allegations were proven, the 18-year-old was 'well and truly involved, in my view, including in some of the more serious offending'. Ms O'Meagher refused bail and adjourned the matter to Campbelltown Children's Court on August 11. The 19-year-old is the only one of four teens accused of taking part in a six-hour rampage who can be named, as the others were 14, 16 and 17 at the time. The four face a total 69 charges over the alleged attack, including multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault, with the 16-year-old accused of raping her nine times. Dramatic police footage showed Abdul-Hamid, who was 18 at the time of the alleged rapes, being arrested at his Heckenberg home in Sydney's south-west on June 17, while his family protested and swore. One of Abdul-Hamid's sisters screamed at police, 'don't sexual assault me', as she jostled with the officers. Detectives arrested the 17-year-old alleged rapist - now aged 18 - at a Sadleir property, also in Sydney's south-west, on the same day. The two other alleged rapists, 14 and 16 at the time and now 15 and 17 - were arrested on December 20 and refused bail when they faced a children's court the next day. Abdul-Hamid, described as a 'quiet' presence in the suburban cul-de-sac where he lived, has had an active online presence since he was about nine. Videos he posted to social media as a youngster showed him dancing, lip-syncing and kicking a footy, sometimes wearing his Sadleir Public School uniform or a Canterbury Bulldogs jersey. On one of his accounts, he proudly displayed a photo of himself hugging his mother. As the self-described 'soulja of Allah' grew older, the content he shared changed to photos of him doing wheelies on a dirt bike, working out, and showing off his physique with his hair tied up in a ponytail. Last year Abdul-Hamid started working as a barber at Blurry Blends Barbershop, a business apparently registered in his sister's name. The shop was located on Norfolk Sreett in Liverpool, at the shopping centre where police say his alleged victim's ordeal began in December. Social media accounts for the business have been scrubbed since Abdul-Hamid's arrest. Police allege the 17-year-old girl was approached by the 16-year-old boy, who was not known to her, at 5.30pm on December 15 at Liverpool's Westfield shopping centre. The 'charismatic' 16-year-old allegedly followed the girl to her car where she reluctantly let him inside before he began sexually assaulting her. A short time later, the 16-year-old asked to be driven 5km to Wheat Park at Sadleir and the victim agreed on the understanding he would get out of the car when they arrived. At the park, two other males entered the car, and they also allegedly sexually assaulted the girl. A fourth male then arrived in another vehicle, and the alleged sexual assault continued as the girl was driven around 'erratically', with one of the youths at the wheel. The alleged six-hour ordeal ended about 11.30pm when the males departed and left the girl in her car. The teenager immediately contacted a friend who took her to Liverpool police station to report the attack. Sex Crime Squad commander Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said last week: 'It beggars belief that in this day and age men would think to act this way towards a girl.' 'The four of them [allegedly] acted together, creating fear on the victim, degrading her, whilst the others offended against her, and at times, there was more than one person offending against this poor young girl,' she added. 'They haven't stopped at any point during that six hours and said, 'This is wrong' to any of their co-offenders. 'That's the difficult part to come to terms with - that four people could act together and keep going at that type of offending over such a long time.'
