Mother’s call with son ends abruptly before he is allegedly murdered with toaster, rolling pin

A SYDNEY mother called her 16-year-old son, asking him where he was. It was their last conversation and his murder cut their phone call short.

Aymen Terkmani, accused of killing the teenager, arrives at court. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Where are you? Come home!” a Sydney mother asked her 16-year-old son in what was to be the last conversation they would ever have.

“It’s OK Mum, I’m with my friend … I’ve got my bike … I will come home,” Mahmoud Hrouk replied.

The teenager told his mother he was with a friend called “Aymen” and gave her an address but the phone cut out abruptly.

The following morning, Mahmoud’s bloodied and partially naked body was found in a vacant house only a few blocks from his family’s western Sydney home about 10.50am on May 17, 2015.

Aymen Terkmani is accused of sexually assaulting Mahmoud and beating him to death. Picture: Richard Dobson

Today the NSW Supreme Court heard how a man named Aymen Terkmani was accused of sexually assaulting Mahmoud and murdering him in a Belmore Street house at East Fairfield on May 16.

The court heard Terkmani allegedly used a rolling pin and a toaster to bludgeon the boy to death before taking his Nike shoes, pants and throwing his iPhone in a nearby drain.

Terkmani has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder and aggravated sexual assault.

On the first day of his trial a jury were told of how Terkmani and Mahmoud had made phone contact throughout the day before the pair decided to meet at Villawood McDonald’s just after 6pm.

Mahmoud Hrouk’s body was found in a abandoned home not far from his family home.

In his opening address, Crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson said the young teenager had spent the day working with his uncle and had asked permission from his father to ride his bicycle to get dinner.

There was CCTV footage which showed Mahmoud and the accused sitting in a ute at the fast food restaurant at 6.22pm.

Mr Robertson said during a search of Terkmani’s home after the alleged murder, police found a bloodstained $5 note inside an Adidas bum bag.

He told the court the blood found on the note matched the DNA of the deceased.

The Crown case also relied on evidence which would show Terkmani was the last person seen with the boy about 7.30pm on the night of his death.

The derelict house in Villawood where the body of the teenager was found.

Mr Robertson said the teenager’s bicycle had been seen at one point outside Terkmani’s Mitchell Street house in East Fairfield.

After Mahmoud’s phone call ended abruptly with his mother at 9.42pm and he was not contactable, his family walked the streets and door-knocked a number of houses in the area.

One of the houses was the family home of Terkmani, who came outside with his father about 4.30am on May 17.

Terkmani told the father of the deceased that he had last seen him at a friend’s house nearby.

“The Crown case is that the accused lied about leaving the deceased with [friends at another house ] and this was a deliberate lie — it was a lie about a significant matter,” Mr Robertson told the court

“On the Crown case this was a lie told with the consciousness of guilt of him having killed the deceased.”

Maha Dunia with a photo of her murdered son Mahmoud Hrouk.

Defence barrister Mark Austin said Terkmani’s father had told police his son was at home at the time of the alleged murder.

“In this case, the position of this accused will be, ‘I had nothing to do with this killing and for this death. I wasn’t an individual who committed these acts’,” he said.

The jury heard that Mahmoud was found by family members, naked from the waist down inside a Belmore Street house.

Mahmoud Hrouk was allegedly beaten to death with a rolling pin and toaster.

Police found his satchel nearby which contained his asthma puffer, a silver chain and $54 in cash.

Mr Robertson also told the court the house where the teenager was found dead was a Department of Housing property often used by Terkmani to smoke cannabis and play pool.

The trial continues before Justice Lucy McCallum.

Originally published as Mother’s call with son ends abruptly before he is allegedly murdered with toaster, rolling pin