Notorious Mohamed Skaf gang rapist says he has no empathy for victims but wants to be released

A notorious member of the notorious Skaf pack rape gang has spoken from jail for the first time, saying he has ‘no empathy’ for the women he attacked.

Mohammed Skaf was 17 when he was sentenced to 32 years behind bars for his part in a series of violent gang rapes which shocked Sydney ahead of the 2000 Olympic Games.

He later had that sentence slashed to 22 years on appeal.

Now 36, Skaf is still remorseless and claims he should be set free, telling The Sunday Telegraph he poses no danger to society despite his crimes being described as ‘worse than murder’ by a judge.

Mohammed Skaf (pictured) was 17 years old when he was sentenced to 32 years behind bars for his involved in a group of men that preyed on women throughout south-west Sydney

He also refuses to apologise to the women whose testimonies landed him behind bars.

Skaf was among a group Lebanese-Australian men, including his brother Bilal, who brutally gang-raped six women and girls, one as young as 14, in 2000. 

But he maintains his innocence – and says both he and his brother were the victims of an unfortunate case of mistaken identity.

‘I’m not a danger to society and I’m not a rapist. What she alleged against me wasn’t true… I shouldn’t have been in jail to begin with,’ he said.

He also confessed he feels no empathy toward his accuser, questioning how he could ever ‘have empathy for someone that wasn’t raped by me?’ 

Mohamed Skaf (pictured at the time of his arrest) denies any wrongdoing for the 2000 gang rapes of multiple young women. He now wants to be released from prison to start a new life

Mohamed Skaf (pictured at the time of his arrest) denies any wrongdoing for the 2000 gang rapes of multiple young women. He now wants to be released from prison to start a new life

The woman in question was just 16 at the time of the assaults.

She considered the younger Skaf brother a friend and agreed to go to Gosling Park in Greenacre with him.

SKAF GANG RAMPAGE: A TIMELINE 

August 10th, 2000: Two teenagers (one 17 and the other 18) were offered drugs. They were taken by car to the gang, who were waiting at Northcote Park in Greenacre.

They were forced to perform sex acts on eight men.  

August 12th, 2000: Mohammed took a 16-year-old friend to his brother and friends. Bilal and another male raped the girl in front of 12 men.

August 30th, 2000: Woman known only as Ms C was raped by Mohamed who told her he was going to ‘f**k her Leb style’.

She was taken to a separate location and raped and assaulted by 14 men for for six hours.

September 4th, 2000: Two girls were attacked at a train station and taken to a home where they were assaulted by three men over a five hour period. 

It was there that she was raped by Bilal Skaf and another man while 12 others watched on and laughed at her.

She managed to escape and told police of her ordeal – including having a gun put to her head.

But Skaf argued he never sexually assaulted her. 

‘It was a girl that I was seeing,’ he said. ‘She accused my brother of sexual assault. He wasn’t actually there.’    

He also denied any involvement in the sexual assault of another woman at a train station.

The woman, known only as Ms C, identified Skaf as the offender and told the court he said ‘I’m going to f**k you Leb style’ moments prior to the assault.

She was then taken to another location where she was sexually assaulted by 14 men in total and hosed down and called an ‘Aussie pig’ in a six hour ordeal.

Skaf is eligible for parole. He has served the minimum sentence but authorities are hesitant to release him from prison due to his lack of remorse.

During a hearing last month, the Serious Offenders Review Council labelled Skaf a ‘menace to society’ adding that he has not shown remorse for his actions. 

‘It appears that he still blames the victims for his offending, has no victim empathy and refuses to take responsibility for his actions.’

The young men involved in the gang were being watched by police as they visited Bondi Beach on October 7, 2000. Right to left: Mahmoud Chami, Belal Hajeid and Mohamed Ghanem

The young men involved in the gang were being watched by police as they visited Bondi Beach on October 7, 2000. Right to left: Mahmoud Chami, Belal Hajeid and Mohamed Ghanem

Bilal Skaf (pictured), Mohamed's older brother, was determined as the ringleader of the depraved gang

Bilal Skaf (pictured), Mohamed’s older brother, was determined as the ringleader of the depraved gang 

Skaf was also assessed as a ‘medium to high risk’ of offending again in the next five years.

He and his brother are the only two members of the gang who remain behind bars.

The 36-year-old is eagerly anticipating his life after prison, however, and said he still feels ‘stuck in the early 2000s’ after spending his entire adult life so far behind bars.

He said he has been treated poorly in prison and was subject to an ‘unfair trial’ to begin with, but hopes to study architecture and start a family upon his release. 

The rapists originally received sentences totaling more than 240 years with Bilal Skaf being jailed for 55 years, later reduced to a minimum of 28.

Judge Michael Finnane compared the Skaf gang’s depravity to acts committed by invading armies in times of war and said their crimes were ‘worse than murder’.

Mohammed's brother Bilal Skaf (pictured) led a gang of more than a dozen young Lebanese Australians who pack raped four young women in late 2000

Mohammed’s brother Bilal Skaf (pictured) led a gang of more than a dozen young Lebanese Australians who pack raped four young women in late 2000

WHY THE SKAF GANG RAPES WERE ‘WORSE THAN MURDER’

Bilal Skaf led a gang of more than a dozen young Lebanese Australians who committed four pack rapes on six teenagers in late 2000.

One of the victims, an 18-year-old woman, was raped 40 times by 14 gang members over four hours in an attack coordinated by mobile phone. She was then dumped at a train station after being hosed down.

During her ordeal the woman was called an ‘Aussie pig’, told she was going to get it ‘Leb-style’ and asked if ‘Leb c*** tasted better than Aussie c***’.

The rapists received sentences totalling more than 240 years with Bilal Skaf being jailed for 55 years, later reduced to a minimum 28.

Judge Michael Finnane compared the Skaf gang’s depravity to outrages committed by invading armies in times of war and said their crimes were ‘worse than murder’.

‘These were not random attacks and, in my view, they were aimed at creating terror in the community,’ Judge Finnane said.

‘It seemed clear to me that these men were sending out a message to the community in Sydney. Skaf and the members of this gang clearly wanted public recognition for what they had done.’

None of the rapists ever expressed any remorse for their crimes.

Only Bilal Skaf and his brother Mohammed are still in jail for the rapes.

Many of the rapists have never been identified and police fear there were more victims who did not come forward.

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