Hadi Skaf spared conviction on drug charge as gang rapist brother Mohammed’s release ‘extra punishment’
Publicity around the release of gang rapist Mohammed Skaf has contributed to his younger brother escaping a drug conviction, a magistrate has ruled.
The younger brother of the infamous Skaf gang rapist brothers has been spared a conviction for cocaine drug supply by a magistrate who cited recent bad publicity of Mohammed Skaf’s release as extra punishment.
But Magistrate Miranda Moody described Hadi Skaf's sale of $750 of “cocaine” – which was actually 2.09 grams of crushed panadol – as a “low act”.
She ordered the 22-year-old to serve an 18 month community release order, saying his youth and prospects in the construction industry helped her decide not to blight his future with a conviction.
She said “a great deal of publicity and photographs” of older brother Mohammed Skaf’s release last week from prison had affected Hadi in the lead-up to his sentencing.
Ms Moody said Hadi had suffered “depression and anxiety” and his parents “had endured so much in their lives” by the rape convictions of Hadi’s older brothers.
“He is extremely sorry. He said it has been hard for him approaching sentence,” Ms Moody said.
“He has apologised to everyone and is sincere in his remorse.
“For such a young man he has had a great deal of extracurial punishment.”
Wearing a black sweatshirt, black trousers and black-and-white shoes, 22-year-old Hadi Skaf stood by and nodded as he was sentenced for drug supply and dealing with proceeds of crime, offences which he had earlier pleaded guilty to.
Earlier in the sentencing, Magistrate Miranda Moody had ordered Hadi to front court in person immediately, after his lawyer advised him to stay in a nearby legal office.
Just after 10.30am on Thursday Magistrate Miranda Moody ordered Hadi Skaf’s lawyer to get his client to Downing Centre Court number 4.5 to be sentenced.
Lawyer Mina Wassef had tried to argue that the cocaine Skaf had pleaded guilty to supplying had not been confirmed by drug analysis as the substance in question.
But a frustrated Magistrate Moody, who had to raise her voice over Mr Wassef to “Stop, Stop” talking via audiovisual link from his office, said the substance was deemed to be cocaine and that was the legal position.
Mr Wassef had told Ms Moody that Hadi Skaf was in his office, which is believed to be in Surry Hills, around 400m from the Downing Centre, but would not be attending court.
Ms Moody objected, saying she would stand the matter down for the moment but that Mr Wassef needed to get his client into Court 4.5.
The magistrate acknowledged that technical glitches in the AVL link had exacerbated the confusion with Mr Wassef, who agreed that Hadi Skaf had also pleaded guilty to dealing with $750 proceeds of crime in the drug deal.
Hadi Skaf arrived at the Downing Centre less than an hour after Ms Moody demanded he attend in person.
Hadi Skaf – who was a 10-month-old infant when his brothers Mohammed and Bilal Skaf went on their infamous Sydney rampage – was listed for sentencing by Magistrate Moody for selling cocaine to a woman in a botched dial-a-dealer drug plot in June.
The 22-year-old was caught after his customer at first tried to get into the back of a police car being used to conduct surveillance on dealers selling drugs to drinkers in Sydney’s inner-city.
The youngest of four siblings, whose brothers’ became synonymous with the series of gang rapes that shocked the nation when Hadi was still just a baby, pleaded guilty to the offence earlier this year.
His court listing for sentence came just a week after his big brother Mohammed Skaf walked from prison after serving 21 years.
Mohammed will wear a satellite tracking anklet for a further two years while on parole for the notorious Sydney 2000 reign of terror rapes targeting “Aussie” girls.
The rape gang’s leader, Hadi’s eldest sibling Bilal Skaf, 40, has more than a decade left to serve before he has any hope of being released from jail.
Mohammed Skaf is living in the family home at Greenacre with parents Baria and Mustapha and sister, Noora.
Hadi, a labourer, came to the attention of police four months ago during a NSW Police operation targeting drug suppliers near Surry Hills hotels.
Officers in an unmarked police vehicle parked near the Dolphin Hotel spotted Hadi about 7.20pm on June 12 seated in a silver Toyota Corolla.
Another man was driving and Hadi was in the front passenger seat using a navigation app on his mobile phone.
While police watched Hadi, a woman tried three times to open the locked passenger-side back door of the police car, which looked similar to the silver Corolla.
The Corolla’s driver beeped his horn at the woman, who in the company of another woman, then pursued the vehicle to a bus lane where it parked.
Police facts tendered to the NSW Local Court said Skaf then wound down his window and the two women stood by it for under two minutes then walked off.
When police approached the silver Toyota Corolla, the facts said, Skaf told them the women were friends and paid him $70 she owed for an Uber fare.
Police saw two phones under Skaf’s leg and asked him how many there were in the vehicle to which he replied: “I don’t know, it’s my mum’s car”.
During a search, officers found $750 in the front pocket of Skaf’s hoodie along with small clear freezer-style plastic bags.
Police found four similar bags containing white powder after searching the two women.
The facts tendered to the court said a text exchange on one woman’s phone began with her asking “Hello are you around Surry tonight? 3 please”.
When the recipient asked for the address, the woman replied “412 Crown St Surry Hills, the dolphin eta?”
The recipient texted: “yeah done see you in 24”, to which the woman replied, “Getting 750 now.”
Police searched Skaf’s phone and found recent searches on the Waze navigation app for 412 Crown Street, Surry Hills, but Skaf explained he wanted to go and play poker machines.
He pleaded guilty in Downing Centre Local Court on June 24 to supplying cocaine and dealing with the proceeds of crime
The Skaf family’s southwestern Sydney home was renovated to include a back yard granny flat ahead of 38-year-old brother Mohammed’s prison release.
After intense media scrutiny of the home following his release, Mohammed Skaf lashed out at photographers surrounding his home last week.
“You’re getting charged with trespassing mate, you’re on private land,” Skaf said.
He then pointed to someone else and said: “Take a photo of him.”
Along with other young Middle Eastern Australians, Mohammed and Bilal Skaf raped and degraded young women they called “Aussie pigs” who they forced into “doing it Leb style”.