A gang of Middle Eastern men have been charged after two prostitutes were allegedly raped and robbed during violent home invasions in Sydney.
Chawkat Ibrahim El Cheikh, 20, Arman Nangyal, 19, and Adam Fakhouri, 18, were arrested and charged on Thursday during police raids on homes in the suburbs of Belmore, Punchbowl, and Greenacre, which all have large Muslim populations.
The trio are accused of breaking into a home on Marinea Street, Arncliffe, at about 12am on September 29, where they allegedly threatened a 31-year-old woman with knives and stole her money, and Nangyal allegedly sexually assaulted her twice.
Then at about 12.30am on Thursday they allegedly forced entry to a unit on Jacobs Street, Bankstown, assaulted a 32-year-old woman, and stole money. Both women required hospital treatment for minor injuries.
Sex Crime Squad Detective Superintendent Virginia Gorman said on Friday the alleged attacks were “planned” and “excessively violent”, and revealed the women had their mouths duct-taped shut.
She said the women were believed to be targeted because the alleged offenders suspected they had cash at their homes and may have been reluctant to report the assaults.
The men were arrested because police believed they intended to carry out a third attack, Gorman said.
El Cheikh was charged with aggravated break and enter and deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery and deprivation of liberty, two counts of choke person intent to commit an indictable offence, common assault, and use of an offensive weapon in company with intent to commit an indictable offence.
He was refused bail and will face court again on November 30, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Nangyal was charged with aggravated break and enter and deprivation of liberty, two counts of choking a person with intent to commit an indictable offence, two counts of aggravated sex assault – deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery and deprivation of liberty, common assault, use of an offensive weapon in company with intent to commit an indictable offence, and fail to comply with a digital evidence access order direction.
He was under an 18-month conditional release order at the time of the alleged offences after being found guilty in June of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in the company of others and destroying or damaging property but spared a conviction.
Fakhouri was charged with aggravated break and deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery and deprivation of liberty, two counts of choking a person with intent to commit an indictable offence, common assault, and use of an offensive weapon in company with intent to commit an indictable offence.
Nangyal and Fakhouri did not apply for bail, which was formally refused on Friday, and both will face court on November 18.
Header image: Jacobs St, Bankstown (Google Street View).
