The Youngest brother of the infamous Skaf rapist gang, Hadi Skaf, allegedly drove a stolen vehicle to facilitate a kidnapping attempt whilst in possession of a firearm.
The 23-year-old appeared for a NSW Supreme court bail application in an attempt to get bail after being charged and arrested for his alleged involvement in the armed kidnapping and plot to assault the man connected to the kidnapping.
The NSW supreme court contemplated that Mr Skaf would likely be in custody on remand (without bail) for 18 months while awaiting trial.
His alleged charges include possessing a loaded firearm in public, being armed with intent to commit an assault, being carried in a stolen Audi Q7, detaining someone in company with the intent of gaining advantage and using a tracking device to find an object without consent.
Hadi had allegedly placed a tracking device under the man’s car and tracked locations the alleged target visited on his phone.
On the 25th of October, after learning of the man’s whereabouts, Mr Skaf allegedly illegally obtained an Audi Q7 with false number plates with 3 others to follow the alleged target.
Police allegedly found a loaded .32 calibre semi-automatic firearm and six rounds of ammunition in the car.
Bottles of bleach, electrical tape and disposable gloves were also allegedly found by police during a car search.
Justice Desmond Fagan suggested that the men had the “means of effecting a kidnapping and torture” when they arrived at the carpark where the alleged target was.
Justice Fagan gave concerns that Mr Skad was at risk of further reoffending due to his previous community corrections involving supplying drugs and other criminal behaviour and previous breaches of bail conditions.
“It’s not the risk of flight that concerns me, it’s the risk of further offending,” Justice Fagan said.
What is kidnapping?
Kidnapping in NSW is a criminal offence which carries up to 14 years imprisonment prescribed by section 86 Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). Kidnapping is when a person takes or detains a person without that person’s consent, intending to hold him or her to ransom; or intending to commit a serious indictable offence; or intending to obtain any other advantage.
There are other types of kidnapping offences, including aggravated kidnapping which carries up to 20 years imprisonment; and specially aggravated kidnapping carrying up to 25 years imprisonment.
By Alyssa Maschmedt.