Two men, Adam Abdul-Hamid, 19, and an unnamed 18-year-old, faced a Sydney court this week over accusations of gang raping a 17-year-old girl for six hours in December. Both men appeared via audio-visual link, displaying little emotion as their bail was denied due to concerns they posed a threat to the community.
The alleged assault occurred at several locations in Sydney. During the hearings at Campbelltown and Parramatta Children’s Courts, it was emphasised that the risk they posed could not be mitigated. Prosecutors asserted that Abdul-Hamid played a significant role as he was the only adult present during the attack, with claims that he did not intervene and even took the victim’s phone to send himself a message.
Edwards, the barrister for Abdul-Hamid, attempted to argue for bail under stringent conditions, claiming the case against his client was weak and citing a lack of evidence that he consented to participate in the assault. Court documents included details of a phone conversation where Abdul-Hamid appeared to implicate others involved in the incident. Notably, despite the seven months since the alleged crime, he had not tried to contact the victim or his co-accused.
Abdul-Hamid faces five charges of aggravated sexual assault in company, with two of these allegations involving a hair brush. The younger male involved has been charged with nine counts of aggravated sexual assault, allegedly orchestrating the attack after being informed about it via FaceTime. CCTV footage allegedly places him at the scene during the assaults.
According to police reports, the victim was initially approached at a Liverpool shopping centre by a 16-year-old unknown to her, who requested a ride to a park. Once there, he and two others assaulted her before a fourth male joined, and the girl was assaulted over the course of the next six hours while being driven around.
The 16-year-old has since been charged with 19 sexual assault offences and five for sexual touching, while a 14-year-old faces ten charges, including seven for aggravated sexual assault. Abdul-Hamid’s case is scheduled to return to court on August 13, while the other accused will face a brief hearing on August 11.
Support services are available for those affected, including the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) and Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800.