Bilal Skaf

Bilal Skaf
Bilal Skaf's undated photo
Born	(1981-09-14) 14 September 1981 (age 35) Sydney, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	State Rail employee
Criminal penalty	31 years' imprisonment
Criminal status	Imprisoned
Parent(s)	Mustapha Skaf Baria Skaf
Conviction(s)	Aggravated sexual intercourse without consent

Bilal Skaf (Arabic: بلال سكاف‎‎) (born 14 September 1981) is an Australian serial gang rapist who led groups of Lebanese Australian men who committed gang rape attacks against women in Sydney in 2000.

For his crimes, Skaf is serving a 31-year prison sentence, and will be eligible for parole in 2033. He was originally sentenced to 55 years with a 40-year non-parole period, but that was modified several times upon appeal.

Bilal's mother Baria worked as a cleaner and an aged care worker and his father Mustapha worked for State Rail in Sydney, gaining a good reputation among his colleagues. It was through his father's reputation that Skaf also found work with State Rail despite having left school at age 14 and gaining convictions for shoplifting and theft.

Bilal attended Homebush Boys High School, where he was described as a loose cannon during his early years.

Skaf was engaged at the time of his arrest and although his fiancée stood by him during his trial, she ended their engagement soon after his conviction. Skaf's response was to sketch cartoons depicting his former fiancée being raped and murdered. Since he was first charged in November 2000, Skaf has remained unrepentant. During his trial he claimed he was involved only in cases of consensual sex, laughed when his verdict was read and swore at the judge when he received his sentence.

On 16 September 2005, the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal reduced Skaf's 55-year sentence to a maximum of 28 years, with parole available after 22 years. NSW Attorney-General Bob Debus decided that the government would seek leave for an appeal to the High Court of Australia against the sentence reduction. An earlier appeal had already reduced his sentence to 46 years, after a successful appeal against one of his convictions.