Warning: Graphic content
When Tracy Lee was just 15 years old, she allegedly became one of the first victims of a gang of serial rapists who went on to terrorise Sydney, brutally attacking young women and girls.
The ringleader was Bilal Skaf, who along with his brother, Mohammed, and at least 14 other men were convicted for gang raping at least six schoolgirls over several weeks.
But Tracy Lee’s case was never prosecuted. Tracy Lee, who spoke on the condition her surname be withheld, says police pressured her to drop her complaint and questioned whether she consented to the horrors she endured.
Tracy Lee said she was never interviewed by police with an adult present.
Police say their approach to sex crimes is vastly different now, and a victim who recently reported a gang rape, allegedly committed by four teens in Liverpool in Sydney’s west, would have met with trauma informed, victim-centric officers who treated the crime with the seriousness it deserved.
Tracy Lee said she met the Skaf brothers through a friend on November 15, 1999. The group drove around in Skaf’s car before stopping at a park in Punchbowl. Tracy Lee said Skaf took her into a toilet block, threatened her with a knife and, when she refused his sexual advances, called his friends.
Over 4½ hours, Tracy Lee said she was sexually assaulted by more than a dozen men with a gun and knives pointed at her. When she was finally left alone, she travelled from Punchbowl to Bankstown police station.
Bilal Skaf, the ringleader of the rape gang.
“I was so mindful when I was on the train, trying not to touch things, [or] contaminate my body because I was 100 per cent sure that I’m a crime scene, and I need to preserve everything,” she said.
“I vividly remember thinking that as a 15-year-old.”
At the police station, Tracy Lee gave a brief statement. She said she offered police her clothes as forensic evidence, but said they didn’t ask for it. She grew up in foster care, and no adult was present; she felt police judged her because of this.
A sexual assault service expert certificate cited by this masthead found her physical injuries, including haemorrhages in her mouth, cuts on her lips, and bruises and red marks all over her body, matched her allegations.
Tracy Lee said she was interviewed over two days, again without an adult present. Police questioned inconsistencies in her statement, with the trauma affecting her ability to remember some details.
“They were implying because I got in the car on my own, it was consensual and that maybe it just became a misunderstanding along the way,” she said.
“I got it in my head that maybe I did ask for it.”
On January 17, 2000 – 10 months before the first of many charges would be brought against Skaf for other attacks – Tracy Lee said a detective encouraged her to drop her case.
“He made me sign a little piece of paper in his little book to say I wasn’t going to pursue it any further,” she said.
No charges were ever laid over Tracy Lee’s allegations.
It took Tracy Lee years of therapy and reflection to understand what happened to her wasn’t her fault.
Tracy Lee said the police made her believe being attacked as a child was her fault.Credit: Steven Siewert
In 2019, she spoke to Nine’s A Current Affair, and police reopened her case. But her clothes and oral swabs had been destroyed, and the inconsistencies in her initial statement made the case impossible to pursue, she said.
“I was very let down by the police. They made me feel like I was a criminal,” she said.
Head of the NSW Sex Crimes Squad, Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty, said Tracey Lee’s experience would not have happened today.
Sex Crimes Squad Commander Superintendent Jayne Doherty says the NSW police has undergone major reform in how it responds to sexual violence.Credit: James Alcock
Doherty headed the Sexual Violence Project in 2021, implementing reforms to raise awareness of the seriousness of sexual violence and enforce a victim-centric and trauma-informed response within the force.
Victims are now taken into a dedicated room with soft furnishings and are interviewed by two detectives. Since 2024, all detectives have had to complete the adult sexual violence investigators courses. The sex crimes squad and a dedicated station officer review each case to ensure the appropriate steps have been taken.
“We push a victim-centric approach, and we never blame victims,” Doherty said.
Victims are informed about the investigation process, referred to victim services, and asked to provide evidence. The police gather evidence independently of the victim and store it if an investigation stalls.
A case can only be closed if an exceptional clearance panel, consisting of an independent victim services representative, agrees that no further steps can be taken.
“We are more professional with it, recognise that it is a serious criminal offence, and put that much more effort into it,” Doherty said.
A review into the NSW Police Force culture is currently under way following reviews in 2019 and 2020, which raised questions about a culture of “sexual harassment” and a “boy’s club”.
“We are constantly learning we’re not perfect. People expect more, and they should expect more from police. So we will keep doing our best to improve,” Doherty said.
“We’re always willing to hear from victims, and it’s never too late to report.”
Doherty advises victims who don’t believe police have responded to their complaint appropriately to speak with the station’s sergeant or duty officer, and to contact victim services to advocate on their behalf. Complaints can also be escalated to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
How sex crimes complaints are handled by NSW police
- Victims report the crime to a local police station and speak with an officer, and may be referred to the hospital for a rape kit. If no detectives are on duty, they are called in.
- Two detectives trained in sexual violence take a statement in a specialist room. The victim is given a pamphlet explaining the police process and support services available.
- The Sex Crimes Squad reviews cases within 24 hours and provides support to detectives as needed. The squad takes over the investigation for complex cases.
- A dedicated station officer also reviews the case to ensure it has been handled appropriately and referred to detectives.
- Evidence is taken with the victim’s consent, and an investigation commences. Charges are brought when possible.
- If a full investigation cannot be completed, the evidence is stored for future use.
- If no charges can be brought, the case is reviewed by an exceptional clearance panel, consisting of senior police officers and an independent representative from victim services, before the case is closed.
Karen Iles is a survivor of gang rape and director of Violet Co legal and consulting. She said some of her clients have experienced victim blaming or being turned away by police.
Iles is calling for compensation payments to be increased from $10,000, for victims to be paired with a lawyer from the start, as recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission, and for a reform to the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission so complaints aren’t investigated by the same station where the complaint was made.
“One in four women has experienced sexual violence. The resources should reflect that,” she said.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).