Two men accused of gang raping a teenage girl remained expressionless when denied bail for being deemed a danger to the community.
Adam Abdul-Hamid, 19, and an 18-year-old male who cannot be legally named are among four youths accused over the six-hour-long sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl at multiple Sydney locations in December 2024.
Both appeared by audio-visual link at separate court hearings on Tuesday when their bail applications were refused.
At Campbelltown Local Court, Magistrate Peter Thompson found the risk that Abdul-Hamid posed to the community if he was released from Silverwater prison could not be mitigated.
Magistrate Rosheehan OMeagher at Parramatta Childrens Court made similar findings in relation to the 18-year-old.
Bail was rejected despite a raft of strict conditions proposed for each co-accused by their barrister Troy Edwards SC.
Crown prosecutor Abby Lee van der Velde argued Abdul-Hamid should not be released because he was the only adult present during the alleged prolonged and sustained sexual assault.
The barber shop employee had not tried to intervene and had allegedly taken the victims phone to send himself a text message, Mr Thompson heard.
Adam Abdul-Hamid (pictured), 19, is one of four teenagers accused of the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in Sydneys south-west. He faced Campbelltown Local Court on Tuesday
Adam Abdul-Hamids family shielded themselves with umbrellas and swore at media as they left court
Material provided by his family to the court describing the 19-year-old as a responsible and affectionate person lay in contrast to the seriousness of the charges, Ms van der Velde said.
Mr Edwards unsuccessfully tried to argue the bail conditions were enough to mitigate any risk his client posed.
He described the case against his client as weak, saying there was no evidence he agreed to participate in the alleged crime.
Do you want to have a turn? Abdul-Hamid was allegedly asked, according to a police facts sheet seen by the court.
No, Im all right, he allegedly replied.
In a later covertly recorded phone conversation, Abdul-Hamid blamed the other males involved in the alleged assault, the court was told.
Despite seven months elapsing since the alleged assault, the 19-year-old had not tried to contact the complainant or his co-accused, Mr Edwards said.
Abdul-Hamid has been hit with five charges of aggravated sexual assault in company but has yet to enter any pleas.
Police allege the 17-year-old girl was approached by the 16-year-old boy, who was not known to her, at Liverpools Westfield shopping centre on December 15 last year and endured a six-hour ordeal
Dramatic police footage showed Adam Abdul-Hadim being arrested at his Heckenberg home on June 17 (above), while his family protested and swore at officers
Two of these alleged offences involve the use of a hair brush.
Outside court, the 19-year-olds mother and two brothers wore face masks and shielded themselves with umbrellas, swearing at reporters before getting into a waiting car and driving off.
The 18-year-old, who was 17 at the time of the alleged offences, appeared by audio-visual link at Parramatta Children’s Court.
He has been hit with nine charges of aggravated sexual assault in company and allegedly joined the sexual assault after being told about it through Facetime, Ms OMeagher was told.
As his mother and father watched in court, Ms van der Velde said the youth had been captured on CCTV, placing him at the scene.
What was allegedly done to the 17-year-old girl was outlined in a nine-page police statement of facts.
The 18-year-old applied for bail through Mr Edwards who had earlier unsuccessfully sought release for Abdul-Hamid.
Mr Edwards tendered an affidavit written by the accused rapists mother as well as proposed bail conditions.
On one of Abdul-Hamids social media accounts, he proudly displayed a photo of himself hugging his mother (above)
Abdul-Hamid is pictured being put in the back of a caged truck after being arrested on June 17. He is charged with five counts of aggravated sexual assault in company
Asked by magistrate Rosheehan OMeagher about the strength of the Crown case, Mr Edwards said: Its not submitted its a weak prosecution case.
Ms van der Velde said the 18-year-old had been present when a 16-year-old approached the alleged victim at Westfield Liverpool on December 15 last year.
The alleged victim had later been subjected to a sustained and serious assault in which the 18-year-old taken part, the court heard.
Ms van der Velde said the 18-year-old contacted the other males by phone after leaving the scene of the alleged rapes.
Mr Edwards said the strength of the prosecution case depended in part on whether the person seen with the victim at Westfield was the same person who later assaulted her.
He said his client had no criminal record convictions and had spent seven months in the community until his arrest on June 17.
In that time, the 18-year-old had made no attempt to contact the alleged victim, Mr Edwards said.
Each of the charges of aggravated sexual assault in company carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.
The 18-year-old males mother and partner watched in court (pictured)
Ms OMeagher described the Crown case as strong and said there were no bail conditions which could offset the risk to the community if the teen was released.
If the rape allegations were proven, the 18-year-old was well and truly involved, in my view, including in some of the more serious offending.
Ms OMeagher refused bail and adjourned the matter to Campbelltown Childrens Court on August 11.
The 19-year-old is the only one of four teens accused of taking part in a six-hour rampage who can be named, as the others were 14, 16 and 17 at the time.
The four face a total 69 charges over the alleged attack, including multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault, with the 16-year-old accused of raping her nine times.
Dramatic police footage showed Abdul-Hamid, who was 18 at the time of the alleged rapes, being arrested at his Heckenberg home in Sydneys south-west on June 17, while his family protested and swore.
One of Abdul-Hamids sisters screamed at police, dont sexual assault me, as she jostled with the officers.
Detectives arrested the 17-year-old alleged rapist – now aged 18 – at a Sadleir property, also in Sydneys south-west, on the same day.
The two other alleged rapists, 14 and 16 at the time and now 15 and 17 – were arrested on December 20 and refused bail when they faced a childrens court the next day.
Abdul-Hamid, described as a quiet presence in the suburban cul-de-sac where he lived, has had an active online presence since he was about nine.
Videos he posted to social media as a youngster showed him dancing, lip-syncing and kicking a footy, sometimes wearing his Sadleir Public School uniform or a Canterbury Bulldogs jersey.
On one of his accounts, he proudly displayed a photo of himself hugging his mother.
As the self-described soulja of Allah grew older, the content he shared changed to photos of him doing wheelies on a dirt bike, working out, and showing off his physique with his hair tied up in a ponytail.
Last year Abdul-Hamid started working as a barber at Blurry Blends Barbershop, a business apparently registered in his sisters name.
The shop was located on Norfolk Sreett in Liverpool, at the shopping centre where police say his alleged victims ordeal began in December.
Social media accounts for the business have been scrubbed since Abdul-Hamids arrest.
Police allege the 17-year-old girl was approached by the 16-year-old boy, who was not known to her, about 5.30pm
The charismatic 16-year-old allegedly followed the girl to her car where she reluctantly let him inside before he began sexually assaulting her.
A short time later, the 16-year-old asked to be driven 5km to Wheat Park at Sadleir and the victim agreed on the understanding he would get out of the car when they arrived.
At the park, two other males entered the car, and they also allegedly sexually assaulted the girl.
A fourth male then arrived in another vehicle, and the alleged sexual assault continued as the girl was driven around erratically, with one of the youths at the wheel.
The alleged six-hour ordeal ended about 11.30pm when the males departed and left the girl in her car.
The teenager immediately contacted a friend who took her to Liverpool police station to report the attack.
Sex Crime Squad commander Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said last week: It beggars belief that in this day and age men would think to act this way towards a girl.
The four of them [allegedly] acted together, creating fear on the victim, degrading her, whilst the others offended against her, and at times, there was more than one person offending against this poor young girl, she added.
They havent stopped at any point during that six hours and said, This is wrong to any of their co-offenders.
Thats the difficult part to come to terms with – that four people could act together and keep going at that type of offending over such a long time.
