Skaf Gang Rape

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Bilal Skaf is the most notorious rapist in Australia’s history. His victims were systematically sexually abused by Skaf and a group of his friends, including his brother, Mohammed Skaf, on three separate occasions. To this day, neither Bilal nor his brother has shown any signs of remorse for their actions. The elements of crime of Mens Rea and Actus Reus are both clearly identifiable in each of the rapes. Good morning Ms Hudson and fellow classmates The ring-leader of these gang rapes was Bilal Skaf. Skaf was sentenced to a record 55 years imprisonment as new legislation was brought in to cater specifically for this offence. This legislation was the Crimes Sexual Assault in Company Act, which drastically increased the sentences for gang rapists…show more content…
Community standards were upheld by Justice Finnane DCJ. At the time of the sentencing, society was strongly against gang rapes as there was considerably more media coverage of gang rapes than in previous times. The problem that arose after the reduction of the sentence was that it discouraged other victims of sexual assault from reporting incidents as the legal process for the R v Skaf case was lengthy and emotionally traumatic. Therefore by reducing the sentence victims may see it as a waste of time and a blow to their emotions and mental state. In this aspect justice has not been achieved for other victims of sexual assault. Identity was an issue in the trial. The judges found the experiment was a miscarriage of justice. "In our view there must, regrettably, be a new trial because of this ground," the judges said. Because the judges decided that a retrial was appropriate in this situation it showed that it was not only a fair judgment but also was not bias to any side which showed that the justice system operates…show more content…
This case led to the questioning of whether the legal system is effective for the individual and the community and whether it really brought justice to the victims of crime. A large proportion of society feel let down by the legal system, as a mechanism put into place to protect and bring justice has obviously failed in this case. The fact that serious sex offenders who place a black mark on the well being of victims, both physically and mentally being let off in less than 20 years caused a lot of conroversy. Although it may be argued that 55 years was a harsh penalty and didn’t warrant the crime, the victim’s of the crime received a much harsher sentence, a life of trauma and a constant feeling of alarm. Denele Crozier a Women's Health NSW executive officer asked the question many women had asked after the appeal was established ``How many times do women have to be constantly let down and disappointed by the legal

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