Loubna Kawtharani “deeply regrets” role in death of Ross Houllis over fake Airpods

The mother of a young man who was killed in a “trivial” revenge-plot involving $150 earpods has faced the woman who helped lure him to his death.

A Bankstown-mother-of-three who posed as a buyer for Airpods on Facebook Marketplace has avoided jail after admitting to her role in luring a man to his death in February last year.

Loubna Kawtharani faced Campbelltown Local Court on Monday where she was sentenced to one charge of being an accessory before the fact to an offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Kawtharani helped lure 28-year-old Ross Houllis to a Wakeley carpark in Sydney’s west before he was fatally beaten to death on February 14, 2020.

The young mother, 28, appeared teary during her sentencing as Mr Houllis’s mother and two supporters watched on from the back of the public gallery.

Defence lawyer David Carroll told the court Kawtharani knew there was going to be a confrontation but was not legally responsible for what followed.

Loubna Kawtharani was teary as she appeared at Campbelltown Local Court on Monday over her role in the death of Ross Houllis. Picture: Lauren Ferri

“She certainly does accept the heavy burden of being responsible morally for what followed,” Mr Carroll said.

“She has recognised the deep and profound impact it had on the Houllis family and carries the deep regret and shame and sorrow every day in her life.”

The court heard she is raising three young children by herself as her partner is in custody, suffers from mental health issues and works in charity and youth services in her local community.

However, Magistrate George Breton said Kawtharani played a “crucial” role as she put him in a “spot of vulnerability”.

“The facts are grave and serious following a very trivial instance of buying fake Airpods worth only $150,” Magistrate Breton told the court.

Ross Houllis died in February last year after arranging to meet to sell fake Airpods. Picture: Supplied

“She had no intention of conducting any transaction and she knew what was going to happen.”

Magistrate Breton read to the court the injuries inflicted on Mr Houllis, causing his mother to break down in tears.

The court heard Mr Houllis suffered catastrophic brain injuries including multiple intracranial haemorrhages, significant brain swelling, squashing of the brain and significant brain herniation. He also had fractures to his fourth and fifth left ribs, a lung contusion and a lung collapse.

The neurological team at Liverpool Hospital found the traumatic brain injury was not survivable and Mr Houllis’s mother turned off the life support on February 17.

“Mr Houllis was taken deliberately to a place of isolation and was made vulnerable,” Magistrate Breton said.

“Your role was absolutely crucial, it simply would not have happened without you.”

Magistrate Breton told the court no sentence other than imprisonment was appropriate as Kawtharani had “well and truly crossed the threshold”.

The 28-year-old was sentenced to a two-year term of imprisonment to be served by way of Intensive Correction Order.

“You are today in the presence of the people whose lives you destroyed, they will never get over what happened to their son, brother, friend,” Magistrate Breton told Kawtharani on sentencing.

A Magistrate told Loubna Kawtharani Mr Houllis’ death “would not have happened” without her. Picture: Lauren Ferri

Outside court Mr Houllis’s mother Janet said her son was a loving man who would “never have harmed anyone” and said the family was still struggling with the loss.

“It’s just hard getting up and going past his bedroom … it’s been left the way it was the day he died,” Ms Houllis said through tears.

“The day he died was my wedding anniversary which I can never celebrate again and his birthday was on Friday, he would have turned 30.”

Ms Houllis was with her son the night he got the phone call to drop off the Airpods and says she wished she went with him.

“He asked me to go with him and I said that I couldn't go because we were packing to go to Hawaii the next day as a family holiday,” she said.

Janet Houllis (left) was in court on Monday. Picture: Lauren Ferri

Police fact sheets have revealed how the revenge-plot came about, as Kawtharani and her co-accused, Sami Hamdach and Abdul Karaali, found Mr Houllis had been selling fake Apple Airpods on Facebook Marketplace with his brother.

The pair had been advertising them on their sister’s Facebook page before communicating with buyers via text, with Mr Hamdach paying $150 for the fake earphones on February 13.

Following the realisation they had been duped, Kawtharani agreed to assist her de facto partner by setting up a meeting with Mr Houllis “under the guise she was interested in purchasing Airpods”, according to the police fact sheet.

“In setting up the meeting, Kawtharani knew Hamdach intended to confront Mr Houllis and foresaw the possibility of the assault,” according to court documents.

About 4pm on February 14, Kawthrani reached out to Mr Houllis using the username Elle Kay inquiring about the Airpods.

“Is this still available? Please very interested for Valentines,” she wrote.

Mr Houllis’s brother Matthew replied, saying they were available and issued the victim’s phone number, to which Kawthrani messaged at 8.30pm.

“Hey I messaged about the AirPods, when is best to come pick up,” she wrote, prompting an exchange between the two.

Mr Houllis offered to make the exchange the following morning, but Kawtharani pushed for it to be that same night.

Shortly after 9pm, Mr Houllis called his brother if he knew who Kawtharani was and asked if he was going to come with him to make the exchange, but his brother asked if he could go by himself, according to court documents.

Loubna Kawtharani did not say anything as she left the court. Picture: Lauren Ferri

Kawtharani arrived at 9.17pm and sent a text to Mr Hamdach: “Make sure there are no cameras that see your plate number”.

Mr Hamdach and Mr Karaali then allegedly arrived at the agreed carpark at 9.21pm with Mr Houllis arriving on foot ten minutes later.

According to the police fact sheet, the pair “immediately demanded money and set upon Mr Houllis and assaulted him in the carpark before he was walked down the street”.

The assault allegedly continued until 9.43pm when the pair fled and left Mr Houllis lying unconscious on the ground.

On February 15, Mr Hamdach and Kawtharani’s home was searched by police and she handed over her phone, allowing them to search through her messages and call records before her arrest on March 19.

Mr Hamdach and Mr Karaali are due to face trial in October.