Somali-Muslim Pack-Rapists in New Zealand

(This post is the news article direct from the New Zealand Herald.)

Two men have been sentenced over the pack rape of a woman snatched off an Auckland street but police says another two are still on the loose.

Abdinor Abdi, 29, and Mohamed Bashir, 25, were sentenced in the High Court at Auckland today to 16 and 15 years in prison respectively for their part in the continued rape of the woman.

Neither will be eligible for parole until they served at least half of their sentences. A jury earlier found them guilty of rape and three counts of being party to rape. Abdi was also convicted of abduction and threats to kill.

Abdi - who refers to himself as Canada and 2pac - was identified by his gold teeth. Both men were also charged after DNA samples found on the victim matched samples already held by police.

Outside court, Detective Martin Friend said DNA samples from two other men were found in the victim's underpants and police are still looking for the pair.

"I believe we got the main ringleader in Abdi, he was the main instigator in what took place but obviously there is a concern given the whole pack [rape] scenario."

Somali-Muslim rapist Abdinor Abdi.

The survivor of the ordeal was at court today and watched proceedings from behind a screen. She was sick and had to keep a bucket close by.

Crown prosecutor Sam Wimsett said the woman had been with friends at a bar on Auckland's Karangahape Rd on June 4 last year. She started playing pool with four men and lost contact with her friends.

The woman left the bar to go looking for them but instead of getting help from the four men, they grabbed her by the wrists and forced her into a car. She was taken to a garage at an unknown location, forced to lie on a mattress and held down while each man raped her.

"Having to dance in front of the men, having them giggle, laugh and chatter must have made this particularly degrading," Mr Wimsett said. Abdi threatened to kill her if she did not dance.

She was allowed to go to the bathroom once and called out but no one came to help her. She was then taken back to the mattress and raped again.

"I felt degraded as these guys raped me one after the other," she said in her victim impact statement read by Crown prosecutor Michael Walker.

She said she had put on 10kg on purpose to make herself less attractive to men and slept during the day in an effort to avoid flashbacks. The woman also pleaded with the men to get help while they were in prison.

Abdi's lawyer Peter Kaye said his client was born in Somalia but had been living in New Zealand for the past 16 years. Mr Kaye said while there "isn't any room for remorse", his client did feel sorry for the position the victim found herself in.

Somali-Muslim rapist Mohamed Bashir

Bashir's lawyer Nicholas Leader said his client maintained his innocence. He said his client moved to New Zealand when he was just 6 and was only one of two survivors from a village in a war-torn area.

In sentencing, Justice Ailsa Duffy described the crime as "inherently brutal and callous". "You maintain your innocence despite DNA evidence of your semen being found on the victim's underwear," she told Abdi.

She told Bashir that his views on women were "dangerous for society". "I also note that you espoused no remorse for your offending and indeed, you said the victim was going along with the fun."

Police are still looking for the other two men involved.