Australia: Muslims raped 22yo woman

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10

Rape victim 'told to trust'
By Johanna Leggatt
January 09, 2006
A WOMAN who claims she was raped at knifepoint accidentally got into her assailants' car because she thought they were friends but was reassured by the men that she could trust them, a trial at the Brisbane District Court has heard.

The two men, Afsheen Kashef Hussein, 26, and Azhar Zuhayr Hussein, 21, have each pleaded not guilty to eight counts of rape and one count of indecent treatment of the Brisbane woman, who was 22 at the time.

In her opening address to the jury of 10 men and two women, crown prosecutor April Freeman said the alleged assault happened as the woman was attempting to catch a cab home from inner city Fortitude Valley after midnight on September 16, 2004.

As she was walking along Ann Street, the brothers pulled up in a car beside her.

One of the men started yelling



out to her, it was alleged in court.


"She recognised the car and thought it was a friend's car and got in," said Ms Freeman.

"It was when she got in the car that she realised it wasn't someone she knew."

The men offered her a lift home and she asked them if she could trust them and they assured her she could, Ms Freeman said.

The court heard the men instead drove her to Mount Coot-tha, west of Brisbane, produced a knife and raped her multiple times.

Ms Freeman said the men took turns raping the woman while the other held the knife.

Eventually, the woman managed to escape and ran to a nearby security guard to call for help.

The woman was due to give her evidence today and was to be protected from the sight of her alleged attackers by a screen, but fell violently ill and was taken to hospital.

Her condition is unknown at this stage.

Ms Freeman said DNA taken from the alleged victim's body matched the DNA
of
the
two
men.

The men have pleaded not guilty because, while they say they did have sex with the all
eged victim, they deny it was not consensual.

The trial before Judge Warren Howell continues.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/commo...55E1702,00.html

 

[José María]

10

TWO brothers accused of the multiple rape of a young woman at knifepoint have been found guilty in Brisbane of six counts of sexual assault.

Fijian-born Afsheen Kashef Hussein, 26, and Azhar Zuhayr Hussein, 21, each pleaded not guilty in the District Court to eight charges of rape and one of indecent treatment of the 22-year-old woman at Mt Coot-tha in Brisbane.

After almost two days of deliberation, the jury of 10 men and two women found each of the brothers guilty of six counts of rape but not guilty of three charges: two rape counts and the indecent treatment charge.

Prosecutor April Fr


eeman however, submitted that a sentence in the order of 12 years for each of the men was appropriate and Judge Warren Howell adjourned sentencing to a later date.

Judge Howell informed the jury o
nce their verdict had been delivered, that the two brothers have also been charged over a second rape at Mt Coot-tha, this time of a sex worker, in February last year.

They have also pleaded not guilty to the charges but the brothers' co-accused ' Brisbane men Zaak Imtiaz Ali, 21, and Zain Iftiaz Ali, 23 ' have pleaded guilty. The matter will be heard on May 29.

The Hussein brothers' trial heard that on September 17, 2004, the men picked the woman up from Fortitude Valley and drove her to Mt Coot-tha, where they took turns to repeatedly rape her at knifepoint for about an hour.

The victim broke down a number of times during her evidence, despite a screen being placed between her and the accused men.

At one p
oint
one
of the rapists started laughing and Judge Howell responded by saying: "If the accused on the left doesn't behave ... I'll take appropriate action".

Judge Howell told the court the victim is also seeking sexual assault compensation
from the two men of $75,000 each.

The civil claim will be heard on March 10.