Matthew Khoury sentenced after Raptor police arrest at Guildford

A police squad that targets bikies and organised crime networks suspected a western Sydney teen had drugs in his car, but busted him for other offences instead.

Raptor police arrested Matthew Khoury in 2021.

A teenager that a police squad suspected had drugs or was part of a crime syndicate was actually just on a Maccas run and busted for driving without a licence at Guildford, a court has heard.

Matthew Khoury, 19, was driving at night with two friends to get McDonald’s when Raptor police pulled him over on Cecil St on September 30, 2021, when Sydney was still under heavy Covid lockdowns.

His Mercedes sedan had matched a car cops were told to be on alert for via police radio when they pulled him over about 10.30pm.

On Wednesday, Khoury’s lawyer Abdul Saddik told Fairfield Court the incident escalated when Raptor squad was putting through a task force in southwest Sydney.

“Raptor is known to have a heavy hand on the street,’’ Mr Saddik said.

He said Raptor had a “high profile at that time” and it did “rattle Mr Khoury” who lashed out at police and resisted the arrest.

The court heard how Khoury’s response to police was “not sophisticated” and he kept telling his friend “record, record, record” because he did not understand why he had to get out of his car.

Police told him he was stopped for a random roadside test and requested he produce his driver’s licence but he had no form of identification and said he was unaware of his obligation to carry his licence.

Matthew Khoury outside Fairfield Court.

Khoury began to swear and become agitated at police, who grabbed his shirt to get him out of the car.

He was “belligerent, aggressive and swore at police despite being warned he was in a public place and his behaviour constituted an offence,’’ police facts stated.

When he was taken out of the car, he continued swearing words such as f--- and c--- to police.

Suspecting he had drugs because of his “irate behaviour”, police searched Khoury’s car while he was handcuffed and placed on the ground, but “nothing adverse” was uncovered.

He was charged with drive motor vehicle not carry licence, drive motor vehicle while licence suspended and using offensive language in a public place.

The court heard how the Minchinbury NBN employee had a stable job and was in a stable relationship with his girlfriend, who supported him in court.

Magistrate James Gibson said Khoury acted immaturely and swore at police, but the most serious offence was driving while suspended.

In May 2021, he was given a community release order but not convicted and suspended from driving for nine months.

He pleaded guilty to the driving offences but not guilty to resisting police - a charge that was later withdrawn.

He was convicted of the driving offences, fined $400 and banned from holding a driver’s licence for three months.

He was found guilty, but not convicted, of using offensive language in a public place.