Three men charged over alleged assault of two women in Sydney home invasions
Quick Look
- Three men have been charged with aggravated break and enter, deprivation of liberty, robbery, assault and sexual assault offences following two home invasions in Sydney's south-west in September, where two women were allegedly assaulted, choked, restrained and had money stolen.
- Police allege the attacks were planned and are investigating whether a third woman was targeted.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Police established Strike Force Forela in conjunction with the Sex Crimes Squad to investigate a series of home invasions in Sydney's south-west. The investigation led to raids in Belmore, Punchbowl and Greenacre, resulting in the arrest and charging of three men aged 18, 19 and 20.
In short:
A 31-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted and a 32-year-old woman was allegedly assaulted in separate home invasions this month.
Police have charged three men following raids in Belmore, Punchbowl and Greenacre.
What's next?
The three men have been refused bail and are due to appear in court on Friday.
Three men have been charged over the alleged assault of two women in separate Sydney home invasions, as police investigate whether the trio were planning to target a third woman.
Police said a 31-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by the group at a home in Arncliffe on September 29.
That same group allegedly assaulted a 32-year-old woman at unit in Bankstown two days later.
Both women were choked, punched and restrained and had money stolen.
Sex Crimes Squad commander Detective Superintendent Virginia Gorman said investigators believed the attacks were planned in advance and "very violent".
"I believe that [the offenders] have done some research and they believe that these women might be home alone and might have money on the premises,"
she said.
Superintendent Gorman said the offenders were armed with a knife and had used to duct tape to restrain the women.
She said police were investigating whether the men were planning to target a third victim.
Superintendent Gorman condemned the excessive violence, saying their actions were "over the top" for women, who were home alone.
She said while the woman suffered minor physical injuries, the mental trauma would take a long-time to recover from.
"I simply can't believe men would think this is OK," she said.
" I have no words to describe the kind of people who would do this, why would they do this? I simply just don't understand. "
Raids across Sydney's south-west
Police established Strike Force Forela, in conjunction with the sex crimes squad, to investigate.
On Thursday, strike force detectives with assistance from the riot squad carried out three search warrants in Belmore, Punchbowl and Greenacre.
In Belmore, a 20-year-old man was arrested and taken to Burwood Police Station where he was charged with aggravated break and enter and deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery, two counts of choking, common assault and use of an offensive weapon in company with intent to commit an indictable offence.
A 19-year-old Punchbowl man was charged with a string of offences, including aggravated break and enter, deprivation of liberty, two counts of choking and two counts of aggravated sexual assault.
An 18-year-old man was arrested in Greenacre and charged with aggravated break, enter and deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery and two counts of choking.
The men were scheduled to have their matters heard in court on Friday.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The three men will appear in court on Friday to face the charges laid against them
Very likely · Within days
The investigation will continue to determine if a third woman was targeted
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Whether the three men were planning to target a third victim
- The motive behind the alleged attacks
- Whether the men acted alone or as part of a larger group
- If additional charges will be laid as the investigation continues
