Stockland Merrylands: Yousef Sabbouh, Khaled Alameddine plead guilty after food court stabbing

An accomplice who tried to conceal a man’s identity after he randomly stabbed a shopper in the torso in a busy western Sydney mall has been sentenced.

An accomplice charged with concealing a stabbing after his mate knifed a man in a Merrylands shopping mall has faced his fate almost two years after telling cops he was at the busy mall to buy a bum bag and eat.

Khaled Alameddine, 21, pleaded guilty to concealing a serious indictable offence after Yousef Sabbouh, 24, stabbed a man in the torso while he ate in the busy food court of Stockland Merrylands on October 27, 2023.

Sabbouh has also pleaded guilty at Parramatta District Court to reckless wounding and will be sentenced in November.

Fact sheets tendered to court reveal how Sabbouh and Alameddine walked past the 35-year-old victim while he sat eating lunch in the food court of the McFarlane St shopping centre shortly after 2.30pm.

“As they walked past, Sabbouh looked at the victim and said, ‘Why are you looking at us?’ The victim responded: “I’m not looking at you,’’ the fact sheets revealed.

Khaled Alameddine told police he was at the shopping centre to buy a bum bag.

The pair sat at a table a few metres away from the victim on two green stools and ate their lunch before while the victim tried to avoid looking their way.

But the peace didn’t last long and five minutes later Alameddine got up from his seat, approached the victim and asked: “Why are you staring at him?’’

Khaled Alameddine (sitting in pale blue jumper with ponytail) and Yousef Sabbouh (standing, wearing black) at Stockland Merrylands food court before Sabbouh stabbed the man.

“The victim said ‘I am not staring at you’,’’ court documents continued.

“Sabbouh and Alameddine kept repeating the question. The victim said: “Just do your business, I’m trying to eat.’’

During the argument the victim urged them to “go enjoy your food” but Sabbouh attacked him to his shoulder, bicep, chest and stomach.

The victim felt that he had been punched but then saw holes in his jacket, started feeling dizzy and realised he was bleeding.

Yousef Sabbouh and Khaled Alameddine at the Stockland rooftop carpark before the knifing. Picture: NSW Police

“The victim felt instant pain in his right arm and chest,’’ the facts stated.

The victim did not see Sabbouh holding a weapon but he knew Sabbouh was holding an unknown object, which has never been recovered.

The pair fled towards the escalators, with Alameddine pulling the hood of his blue jumper over his head while they dashed to the rooftop carpark and got behind the wheel of his car where Sabbouh was the passenger.

The busy Stockland Merrylands shopping centre.

Members of the public sitting nearby saw the victim bleeding and called triple-0 before the victim was rushed to Westmead Hospital where he underwent surgery to his left arm.

Two months later NSW Police issued a public appeal seeking assistance following the random stabbing.

Alameddine handed himself into Granville Police Station on December 21, 2023, when, during an electronically recorded interview, he refused to answer whether Sabbouh was the passenger in his car.

Alameddine, of Guildford, told police he was at the shops to buy a bum bag and eat, and felt threatened when the victim kept staring.

Alameddine told police he froze during the stabbing and was scared.

“He didn’t know what to do and ran out of fear back to the car,’’ the fact sheets said.

“He did not remember placing a hoodie over his head before he ran off. He said he was scared and that was why he didn’t come to police.’’

During his court appearance on Friday, Judge Sophia Beckett imposed a two-year community correction order and convicted Alameddine for concealing a serious indictable offence.

He was found guilty of being a driver not disclosing the identity of a driver/passenger but was not convicted for that offence.

Sabbouh was charged in January 2024 and granted bail in April last year. He will be sentenced for reckless wounding on November 7.

Under Sabbouh’s bail conditions, the Auburn man must not contact Alameddine or the victim, must report three times a week to police and not enter or approach Merrylands.