Brothers For Life Quami brothers appeal fails on almost all fronts
The legal battle by Sydney‘s notorious Quami brothers, who captained a chapter of the Brothers For Life, has failed on almost all grounds resulting in just a few years being shaved from their massive prison sentences.
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Three chiefs of the murderous Brothers For Life will rot in prison until their twilight years after their appeals were all but entirely shot down in the state’s highest court.
Farhad Quami was perched at the top of the Blacktown chapter of the violent street gang as it waged war against its rival Bankstown chapter in 2013.
His brothers, Mumtaz and Jamil, were second and third in command as the drug and standover crew fought for supremacy.
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It was October, 2013, when Farhad got word that the leader of the Bankstown chapter, Mohammed “Little Crazy” Hamzy, had offered up $150,000 for his head.
The Quamis decided to hit first.
“Farhad Qaumi gave instructions for a number of members of Mohammed Hamzy’s group to be shot,” NSW Court of Criminal Appeal documents released on Wednesday say.
“The names mentioned of people to be shot included Omar Ajaj, Michael Odisho, Masood Zakaria and Khaled Hamzy.”
Jamil and three shooters rushed into Little Crazy’s Revesby Heights home and opened fire - their target escaped but his cousin Mahmoud was killed and Ajaj was injured.
In the days that followed Odisho was shot, an attempt was made next on Zakaria where his sister was shot, then a cafe and a house were also hit.
When the siblings faced a jury for the trail of destruction Farhad was given 60 years in prison, Mumtaz 50 and Jamil 31 years all with extensive non-parole periods.
The sentencing judge, in 2017, described Farhad as “the undisputed, and feared leader” of the gang who wanted to “take over Sydney” with his criminal empire.
Farhad and Mumtaz, in that trial, had been found guilty of ordering the home of Little Crazy’s mother to be shot up in retaliation for another tit-for-tat attack between the gangs.
The two brothers, on Wednesday, were cleared of involvement in that attack after submitting the witnesses who gave evidence against them at trial contradicted one another.
Mumtaz was also cleared of a grievous bodily harm charge related to the attack on Zakaria.
But those were the only victories for the Quamis in the state’s highest court - the rest was dismissed.
The Court of Criminal Appeal, on Wednesday, shaved two years off Farhad’s sentence, four from Mumtaz’ and dismissed Jamil’s appeal entirely.
Farhad will first be eligible for release on parole in 2056, Mumtaz in 2047 and Jamil in 2035.
Last year Farhad lost an appeal against his conviction for the contract killing of Joseph Antoun.
Mr Antoun had opened his door in December 2013 when four bullets ripped through his upper body and he died almost instantly.
Qaumi was found guilty of accepting a contract worth a small fortune to send a gunman to assassinate him and was sentenced to 45 years in jail.
He will be in his mid-70s, at the earliest, when he will be eligible for parole.