John Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
John Houssam Ibrahim a Lebanese Australian
, is a Kings Cross
nightclub owner. Police allege Ibrahim is a "major organised-crime figure" and was labelled as the "lifeblood of the drugs industry of Kings Cross" during the 1995 Wood royal commission
however, Ibrahim strongly denies being involved in the drug trade and organised crime
.
At age 16, Ibrahim witnessed Bayeh's brother being attacked by two men. Ibrahim became involved and ended up receiving a large knife wound to his torso. He was placed into a coma for three weeks because of the extensive damage to his lungs, liver and intestines. A large scar is the result of the stabbing.
In 1992, Ibrahim left home, aged 22 years, and rented a Dover Heights
cliff-side property of 528 m2. Less than ten years later, he purchased the property for A$
1.165 million. In 2008, the house was worth A$3 million and has subsequently undergone significant redevelopment. Ibrahim owns two other properties in the same street, purchased for A$2.5 million in 2007.
Ibrahim has allegedly provided bank guarantees to various family members and holds property in his own name or in the name of companies associated with him. He has provided a A$112,000 guarantee to his sister, Maha Seyour, in 1997 for her South Wentworthville
home and acquiring a Merrylands
property worth A$253,000 in 2004 for allegedly no-cost. Ibrahim has allegedly paid A$400,000 per week in legal fees for the services of an expert criminal defence barrister for his family. In his most recent public property purchase, in 2010 Ibrahim purchased a housing development site at Rothbury
in the Hunter Valley for A$275,000.
Following an incident in April 2011 involving NRL
Roosters players Todd Carney
and Anthony Watts
, the NSW Government
ordered an inquiry into whether the Trademark hotel, located in Kings Cross and owned by Ibrahim, breached laws on the responsible service of alcohol. The inquiry follows the December 2010 incident involving John Hopoate
, who was subsequently convicted of the assault of a patron outside Trademark. It was reported that since July 2009 over 129 assaults have occurred at or near the venue. Trademark is presently subject to a reduction in trading hours, restricted patron numbers, and increased security by scanning patrons with metal detectors.
During 2001 and 2002, a police strikeforce
Sombra gathered intelligence claiming that Ibrahim was allegedly extorting
a number of bars and nigtclubs in the Kings Cross and Darlinghurst
area up to A$5,000 per week each, claiming a beneficial financial interest in club takings and allegedly applying standover tactics. It was reported that police investigations were allegedly compromised by officers from the New South Wales Crime Commission when Ibrahim was informed that his Dover Heights home was bugged
. Ibrahim commenced legal action in the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal and sought access to the intelligence
reports on him. His application was refused and police never charged Ibrahim for the alleged offences. Ibrahim was implicated in subsequent investigations during 2003 amd 2004 by Task Force Gain from the NSW Crime Commission, targeting violent crime in southwest Sydney.
In 2006, the NSW Crime Commission seized assets, including his Dover Heights home, on the balance of probilities that Ibrahim had allegedly engaged in criminal activity. Subsequent orders were made in the Supreme Court
that Ibrahim pay to the State A$150,000 without admission of guilt. On payment of the order, the Commission removed its restraining order over the assets.
, Media Watch criticized the fascination of The Daily Telegraph
with Ibrahim and his family. Since the 2009 shooting of Fadi Ibrahim, the family has regularly featured in The Daily Telegraph, where it was revealed that Ibrahim provided the paper with photos and stories about himself; yet at the same time, claiming to "hate attention" and complaining about the media attention he is receiving.
In a fictional dramatic representation of Kings Cross organised crime, Ibrahim is portrayed by Firass Dirani
in the 2010 television miniseries Underbelly: The Golden Mile.
on 5 December 2010, the following were listed as business associates and/or good friends of Ibrahim:
. In 1997, Sam Ibrahim was elected president of the Granville
chapter of the Nomads Motorcycle Club. This chapter of the Nomads subsequently became a powerful criminal organization in Sydney. However, due to a falling out with the Nomads' leadership group, the chapter splintered in 2007 to form a new outlaw motorcycle club, the Notorious gang
, reportedly formed with the backing of the youngest of the Ibrahim brothers, Michael. Sam Ibrahim remains a life member of the Nomads Motorcycle Club. It has been reported in the media that the Notorious gang is currently being used as street muscle to support the distribution of illegal drugs in Kings Cross and around Sydney.
In 2004, Sam Ibrahim was charged with the knee-capping
of two men in Newcastle
. He was also charged during the late 1990s, over a cocaine
distribution ring involving the Nomads. Sam Ibrahim was acquitted on both matters. In 2009, Sam Ibrahim was charged over the alleged kidnapping of a teenage boy and held in custody for four months until bail
was granted in July 2009. At the time of the bail hearing, it was reported that police were also investigating a second suspect in the alleged incident, Nimilote Ngata. Ngata (b. ca 1988) is the son of John Ibrahim's bodyguard, Semi "Tongan Sam" Ngata. In July 2009, "Tongan Sam" Ngata, was arrested following a raid on his home by a special gang violence taskforce that netted bulk quantities of a methamphetamine precursor.
In an earlier incident during 2006, an associate of Ibrahim, Faouzi Abou-Jibal, was shot in the back over the alleged stabbing of actor, George Nassour, from SBS television series Fat Pizza, and his brother, Robin, at Chiswick
. Ibrahim's youngest brother, Michael, later pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Robin Nassour. and was sentenced to a minimum custodial term of six-and-a-half years.
One of Ibrahim's sisters, Maha Sayour (b. ca 1971), was charged in 2009 with recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime following a police raid on her South Wentworthville
home where police allegedly found shrink-wrapped
packets bulging with nearly A$
2.86 million cash in $50 and $100 notes
hidden in the roof. The matter has been committed for trial and is still before the courts.
In May 2011, two of Ibrahim's brothers, Michael and Fadi, together with Rodney Phillip "Goldy" Atkinson, was ordered to stand trial on a charge of conspiracy to murder John Macris between July and September 2009. Police allege that Michael and Fadi Ibrahim and Atkinson believed that Macris was behind the shooting of Fadi in June, 2009 (see Shootings, below). Another man, Jim Habkouk, was charged over the same matter but a decision regarding his committal to stand trail is presently before the courts.
Daniel John Taylor (b. ca 1991), the son of Ibrahim and a former girlfriend, Melissa Taylor, was committed in early 2011 to stand trial in Queensland
on charges of affray
and assault
occasioning bodily bodily harm on a group of Melbourne tourists outside a nightclub on the Gold Coast
in 2010. It is alleged that Taylor was assisted by a co-accused and that the two were jointly involved. Taylor's bail conditions require him to reside with Ibrahim in Sydney and ordered not to go within 1 kilometre of Kings Cross despite Taylor working in the nightclub industry until the matter is heard before the courts.
In response to these shootings, NSW Police Commissioner
Andrew Scipione
approved the establishment of Strike Force Leat to investigate the shooting incidents. The Ibrahim family have declined to provide statements to police over any of the shooting incidents where they were allegedly involved. Following the 2009 shooting of Fadi Ibrahim, Ken McKay, currently an Assistant Commissioner of Police, commented:
Lebanese Australian
A Lebanese Australian is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Lebanese descent. The community is multi-religious, and includes a Christian, mostly Maronite Catholic, majority, as well as a large Muslim minority of both the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam, and various other Christian and...
, is a Kings Cross
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
nightclub owner. Police allege Ibrahim is a "major organised-crime figure" and was labelled as the "lifeblood of the drugs industry of Kings Cross" during the 1995 Wood royal commission
Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service
The Royal Commission into the New South Wales Police Service was held in the State of New South Wales, Australia between 1995 and 1997. The Royal Commissioner was Justice James Roland Wood...
however, Ibrahim strongly denies being involved in the drug trade and organised crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
.
Early years
Ibrahim is the second of four sons and two daughters born to Wahiba Ibrahim and her husband. Often referred to as the "Ibrahim brothers", the eldest son is Hassan "Sam" (b. ca 1966), followed by John, Fadi (b. ca 1974), and the youngest son is Michael (b. ca 1979).At age 16, Ibrahim witnessed Bayeh's brother being attacked by two men. Ibrahim became involved and ended up receiving a large knife wound to his torso. He was placed into a coma for three weeks because of the extensive damage to his lungs, liver and intestines. A large scar is the result of the stabbing.
Business and personal interests
Aged 18 years, Ibrahim opened his first nightclub in Kings Cross, taking a 20% stake in a club then known as Tunnel Cabaret. Ibrahim sold the club in 2001 and its name changed to EP1; with police unsuccessfully taking legal action to have the venue closed, alleging it was part of organised drug activities in Kings Cross. In 2004, new owners relaunched the Earl Place club as Dragonfly and it still continues to operate, now known as The Tunnel, again under Ibrahim's ownership. Ibrahim is allegedly associated with a minimum of 17 nightclubs in Sydney's Kings Cross.In 1992, Ibrahim left home, aged 22 years, and rented a Dover Heights
Dover Heights, New South Wales
Dover Heights is a coastal, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Dover Heights is located 9 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council...
cliff-side property of 528 m2. Less than ten years later, he purchased the property for A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
1.165 million. In 2008, the house was worth A$3 million and has subsequently undergone significant redevelopment. Ibrahim owns two other properties in the same street, purchased for A$2.5 million in 2007.
Ibrahim has allegedly provided bank guarantees to various family members and holds property in his own name or in the name of companies associated with him. He has provided a A$112,000 guarantee to his sister, Maha Seyour, in 1997 for her South Wentworthville
South Wentworthville, New South Wales
South Wentworthville is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. South Wentworthville is located 28 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Holroyd and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region...
home and acquiring a Merrylands
Merrylands, New South Wales
Merrylands is a suburb in western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Merrylands is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Holroyd...
property worth A$253,000 in 2004 for allegedly no-cost. Ibrahim has allegedly paid A$400,000 per week in legal fees for the services of an expert criminal defence barrister for his family. In his most recent public property purchase, in 2010 Ibrahim purchased a housing development site at Rothbury
Rothbury, New South Wales
Rothbury is a small town located in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 km from Cessnock. At the 2006 census, Rothbury had a population of 309 people....
in the Hunter Valley for A$275,000.
Following an incident in April 2011 involving NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
Roosters players Todd Carney
Todd Carney
Todd Carney is an Australian professional rugby league football player. Carney has represented Australia, Country New South Wales and, in the National Rugby League, the Canberra Raiders between 2003 and 2008, and the Sydney Roosters between 2010 and 2011...
and Anthony Watts
Anthony Watts (rugby league)
Anthony Watts born 12 September 1986 in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia is a rugby league player for the Widnes Vikings in the Super League.Anthony Watts' position of choice is as a half-back and he can also play as a hooker...
, the NSW Government
O'Farrell Ministry
The O'Farrell ministry is the 93rd ministry of the Government of New South Wales, and is led by the 43rd Premier Barry O'Farrell.The Liberal–National coalition ministry was formed following the defeat of the Keneally Labor government at the 2011 election...
ordered an inquiry into whether the Trademark hotel, located in Kings Cross and owned by Ibrahim, breached laws on the responsible service of alcohol. The inquiry follows the December 2010 incident involving John Hopoate
John Hopoate
John Hopoate is a former professional rugby league footballer and boxer. He played club football for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, Wests Tigers and Northern Eagles in the National Rugby League competition. Hopoate also gained selection for Tonga, in the Australian national team and in the New...
, who was subsequently convicted of the assault of a patron outside Trademark. It was reported that since July 2009 over 129 assaults have occurred at or near the venue. Trademark is presently subject to a reduction in trading hours, restricted patron numbers, and increased security by scanning patrons with metal detectors.
Alleged links to organised crime
Ibrahim has been labelled by the Australian news media as "Teflon John" and "The Teflon man of Kings Cross" due to his ability to avoid being convicted of illegal activities, despite widespread public suspicion. As a teenager, he was convicted of assault, but has not been found guilty of any crime since then. During the Wood Royal Commission, Ibrahim was identified by Counsel assisting the Commission, John Agius SC, as the new "lifeblood of the drugs industry of Kings Cross" after major drug dealers like Bill Bayeh, for whom he had worked, were sentenced to prison. During a 2004 trial, Ibrahim was identified as "the subject of 546 police intelligence reports in relation to his involvement in drugs, organised crime and association with outlaw motorcycle gangs".During 2001 and 2002, a police strikeforce
Military operation
Military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state's favor. Operations may be of combat or non-combat types, and are referred to by a code name for the purpose...
Sombra gathered intelligence claiming that Ibrahim was allegedly extorting
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
a number of bars and nigtclubs in the Kings Cross and Darlinghurst
Darlinghurst, New South Wales
Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney...
area up to A$5,000 per week each, claiming a beneficial financial interest in club takings and allegedly applying standover tactics. It was reported that police investigations were allegedly compromised by officers from the New South Wales Crime Commission when Ibrahim was informed that his Dover Heights home was bugged
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
. Ibrahim commenced legal action in the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal and sought access to the intelligence
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
reports on him. His application was refused and police never charged Ibrahim for the alleged offences. Ibrahim was implicated in subsequent investigations during 2003 amd 2004 by Task Force Gain from the NSW Crime Commission, targeting violent crime in southwest Sydney.
In 2006, the NSW Crime Commission seized assets, including his Dover Heights home, on the balance of probilities that Ibrahim had allegedly engaged in criminal activity. Subsequent orders were made in the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales...
that Ibrahim pay to the State A$150,000 without admission of guilt. On payment of the order, the Commission removed its restraining order over the assets.
Media
In a 2010 episode broadcast on ABC TVABC1
ABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 27 September 2004. On 10 December 2004 it was launched on...
, Media Watch criticized the fascination of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
with Ibrahim and his family. Since the 2009 shooting of Fadi Ibrahim, the family has regularly featured in The Daily Telegraph, where it was revealed that Ibrahim provided the paper with photos and stories about himself; yet at the same time, claiming to "hate attention" and complaining about the media attention he is receiving.
In a fictional dramatic representation of Kings Cross organised crime, Ibrahim is portrayed by Firass Dirani
Firass Dirani
Firass Dirani is an Australian actor known for his roles of Nick Russell, the Red Mystic Ranger on Power Rangers Mystic Force, Charlie on the 2009 Australian film The Combination, and as John Ibrahim on the 2010 series Underbelly: The Golden Mile....
in the 2010 television miniseries Underbelly: The Golden Mile.
Business associates of Ibrahim
In an article published in The Sun-HeraldThe Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
on 5 December 2010, the following were listed as business associates and/or good friends of Ibrahim:
- David Robert Auld - the owner and licencee of the nightclub, The Tunnel and The Bank
- Poata Okeroa, Mimmo Salvato and radio shock jock, Kyle SandilandsKyle SandilandsKyle Dalton Sandilands is an Australian radio and TV personality. He is currently the host with Jacqueline Henderson, better known as Jackie O, on the weekday morning radio program The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Sydney radio station 2Day FM, The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power which airs on...
- the owners of The Piano Room - Erik Jury and the Hardin family - the owners of The Club
- Greg Magree - a real estate agent and former publican
- David George and Adam Sonny - sons of Sydney criminal identity George Freeman, former business partners of Ibrahim, and owners of Lady Lux
- "Ashtray Frank" Amante and his son, Michael Amante - the owners of the Dreamgirls strip club, formerly known as Porky's
Family associates of Ibrahim
Ibrahim's elder brother, Sam Ibrahim, was one of the first Lebanese-Australian men to be allowed to join an Australian outlaw motorcycle clubOutlaw motorcycle club
An outlaw motorcycle club is a type of motorcycle club that is part of a subculture with roots in the post-World War II USA, centered on cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals celebrating freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the...
. In 1997, Sam Ibrahim was elected president of the Granville
Granville, New South Wales
Granville, is a suburb in western Sydney, Australia. Granville is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. A small part in the north-west is located in the Local Government Area of the City of Holroyd.South Granville is a...
chapter of the Nomads Motorcycle Club. This chapter of the Nomads subsequently became a powerful criminal organization in Sydney. However, due to a falling out with the Nomads' leadership group, the chapter splintered in 2007 to form a new outlaw motorcycle club, the Notorious gang
Notorious (gang)
Notorious is a gang based in Sydney, Australia. They are considered to be an outlaw motorcycle club however, not all members ride motorcycles. Its emblem features a turbaned skull brandishing twin pistols with "Original Gangster" beneath it, with the motto "Only the dead see the end of war"...
, reportedly formed with the backing of the youngest of the Ibrahim brothers, Michael. Sam Ibrahim remains a life member of the Nomads Motorcycle Club. It has been reported in the media that the Notorious gang is currently being used as street muscle to support the distribution of illegal drugs in Kings Cross and around Sydney.
In 2004, Sam Ibrahim was charged with the knee-capping
Knee-capping
Kneecapping is a form of malicious wounding, often as criminal punishment or torture, in which the victim is injured in the knee, often using a firearm or power drill to damage the knee joint and kneecap.- Use :...
of two men in Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
. He was also charged during the late 1990s, over a cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
distribution ring involving the Nomads. Sam Ibrahim was acquitted on both matters. In 2009, Sam Ibrahim was charged over the alleged kidnapping of a teenage boy and held in custody for four months until bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
was granted in July 2009. At the time of the bail hearing, it was reported that police were also investigating a second suspect in the alleged incident, Nimilote Ngata. Ngata (b. ca 1988) is the son of John Ibrahim's bodyguard, Semi "Tongan Sam" Ngata. In July 2009, "Tongan Sam" Ngata, was arrested following a raid on his home by a special gang violence taskforce that netted bulk quantities of a methamphetamine precursor.
In an earlier incident during 2006, an associate of Ibrahim, Faouzi Abou-Jibal, was shot in the back over the alleged stabbing of actor, George Nassour, from SBS television series Fat Pizza, and his brother, Robin, at Chiswick
Chiswick, New South Wales
Chiswick is a suburb in the inner-west region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 9 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay. Chiswick sits on the peninsula between Abbotsford Bay and Five Dock...
. Ibrahim's youngest brother, Michael, later pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Robin Nassour. and was sentenced to a minimum custodial term of six-and-a-half years.
One of Ibrahim's sisters, Maha Sayour (b. ca 1971), was charged in 2009 with recklessly dealing with proceeds of crime following a police raid on her South Wentworthville
South Wentworthville, New South Wales
South Wentworthville is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. South Wentworthville is located 28 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Holroyd and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region...
home where police allegedly found shrink-wrapped
Shrink wrap
Shrink wrap, also shrinkwrap or shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a hand held heat gun or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor.-Composition:The...
packets bulging with nearly A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
2.86 million cash in $50 and $100 notes
Banknote
A banknote is a kind of negotiable instrument, a promissory note made by a bank payable to the bearer on demand, used as money, and in many jurisdictions is legal tender. In addition to coins, banknotes make up the cash or bearer forms of all modern fiat money...
hidden in the roof. The matter has been committed for trial and is still before the courts.
In May 2011, two of Ibrahim's brothers, Michael and Fadi, together with Rodney Phillip "Goldy" Atkinson, was ordered to stand trial on a charge of conspiracy to murder John Macris between July and September 2009. Police allege that Michael and Fadi Ibrahim and Atkinson believed that Macris was behind the shooting of Fadi in June, 2009 (see Shootings, below). Another man, Jim Habkouk, was charged over the same matter but a decision regarding his committal to stand trail is presently before the courts.
Daniel John Taylor (b. ca 1991), the son of Ibrahim and a former girlfriend, Melissa Taylor, was committed in early 2011 to stand trial in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
on charges of affray
Affray
In many legal jurisdictions related to English common law, affray is a public order offence consisting of the fighting of two or more persons in a public place to the terror of ordinary people...
and assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
occasioning bodily bodily harm on a group of Melbourne tourists outside a nightclub on the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
in 2010. It is alleged that Taylor was assisted by a co-accused and that the two were jointly involved. Taylor's bail conditions require him to reside with Ibrahim in Sydney and ordered not to go within 1 kilometre of Kings Cross despite Taylor working in the nightclub industry until the matter is heard before the courts.
Shootings
Between 2009 and 2011, a number of drive-by shootings at members of the Ibrahim family and associates is alleged to have occurred.- The first recorded shooting allegedly took place in June 2009, when Fadi Ibrahim was shot five times while sitting in his LamborghiniLamborghiniAutomobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
outside his home in Castle CoveCastle Cove, New South WalesCastle Cove is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Castle Cove is located 11 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Willoughby...
. Shayda Bastani-Rad, a woman who is believed to be a second cousin and now wife of Fadi, was also in the car and was shot in the thigh in the same incident. As a result of the shooting, Fadi Ibrahim's stomach and part of his oesophagus were removed and it was reported that he suffered nerve damage and several broken bones. Seeking revenge for the alleged shooting, police allege that Michael, Ibrahim's youngest brother, conspired to murder John Macris, misguidingly thinking that Macris shot Fadi Ibrahim and Bastani. Police did not charge Macris with any offence, nor was he a suspect in the shooting of Fadi Ibrahim. Michael and Fadi Ibrahim and Rodney Phillip "Goldy" Atkinson have been ordered to stand trial for conspiring to murder Macris (see Family associates of Ibrahim, above). Alleged co-conspirator, Jim Habkouk have been charged with conspirancy offences and the matter is presently before the courts. Atkinson was also charged with a number of drug and weapons charges as police raided his home and allegedly found two pistols including a silencer attached, 9.3 grams of heroin, a NSW Police Force badge, 12 vials of assorted steroids and a bullet-proof vest. Police have also charged Shayda Bastani, who is now Fadi Ibrahim's wife, with conspiracy to murder Macris. In a minor related incident, John Ibrahim and Macris were both present at a club in MykonosMykonosMykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in 2010 when both men were ejected from the club as a result of alleged verbal abuse and alleged assault. No charges were laid on either party.
- In November 2010, one of Ibrahim's sisters, Armani Stelio, was at her RydeRyde, New South WalesRyde is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Ryde is located 13 km north-west of the Sydney central business district and 8 km east of Parramatta. Ryde is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Ryde and part of the Northern Suburbs area...
apartment when the home was sprayed with more than 20 bullets in a drive-by shooting. The following day, Sabre Murad, a senior official in the Nomads Motorcycle Club, was shot at his DoonsideDoonside, New South WalesDoonside is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Doonside is located 40 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Featherdale Wildlife Park and the...
home.
- In January 2011, Sam Ibrahim was shot twice in the legs outside his parents' home in MerrylandsMerrylands, New South WalesMerrylands is a suburb in western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Merrylands is located 25 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Holroyd...
. At the time of the alleged shooting, John Ibrahim denied rumours of a "bikie gang war". Sam Ibrahim was quoted by The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph (Australia)The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
as saying: "This is not club related, it has nothing to do with any other club - it's a personal matter. It starts and finishes with that." - A month later, it was reported that Hassan "Sam" Sayour, a nephew of Ibrahim, was one of three men who were shot in the leg following an alleged fight in Old GuildfordOld Guildford, New South WalesOld Guildford is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Old Guildford is located 24 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.-Aboriginal culture:Prior to...
in south-western SydneySouth-western SydneySouth-western Sydney is a general term which is used to describe the metropolitan area in south-west Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Greater Western Sydney area....
between a group of eight men from two rival factions. The next day, a 39-year-old man was shot in the stomach at LeppingtonLeppington, New South WalesLeppington is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Leppington is located 55 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Liverpool and Camden Council.-History:...
whilst sitting in a van that was sprayed with bullets. Police stated that there is no evidence to link the Leppington and Old Guildford incidents.
In response to these shootings, NSW Police Commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
Andrew Scipione
Andrew Scipione
Andrew Phillip Scipione APM is the Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force in Australia, succeeding Ken Moroney on 31 August 2007.-Personal:...
approved the establishment of Strike Force Leat to investigate the shooting incidents. The Ibrahim family have declined to provide statements to police over any of the shooting incidents where they were allegedly involved. Following the 2009 shooting of Fadi Ibrahim, Ken McKay, currently an Assistant Commissioner of Police, commented:
- "If you're hanging around the Ibrahims, it's not safe ... has never been safe as history has shown, and it's not going to be safe in the future. The only sensible way to describe it - it's greed, it's money, it's crime. Our job is to target these people. We have been quite successful. There is a lot more work to do. The ones we get tend to be the lucky ones. They don't die. The ones we have to scrape up off the street are the unlucky ones. We will get to these people. They'll come undone."
- In May 2011 there were further reports of drive-by shootings with an alleged motive of revenge over the stabbing death of Robin Nassour in 2006. According to police reports, the Merrylands home of Ibrahim's cousins, Mouhamed and Sleiman Tajjour, was sprayed with nine bullets. The Tajjour brothers were convicted of the 2006 manslaughterManslaughterManslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
of Nassour, and released from custody in March 2010. No one was injured in the shooting incident. Less than a day later, a further drive-by shooting incident occurred involving the house of an uncle of the Ibrahim brothers, Faisal Tajjour, also in Merrylands.
- Further media reports of shootings occurred in July 2011, again in Merrylands, adjacent to the home of the mother of the Ibrahim brothers. The same day, a drive-by shooting allegedly took place at John Ibrahim's Dover Heights home. In August, it was reported that police arrested two men in relation to these shootings. Both men were reported to be members of the outlawed Hells Angels motorcycle gangOutlaw motorcycle clubAn outlaw motorcycle club is a type of motorcycle club that is part of a subculture with roots in the post-World War II USA, centered on cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals celebrating freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, and loyalty to the...
. In a separate incident in August, it was reported that shots were fired at a house in Merrylands West that used to be occupied by the Tajour brothers, cousins of Ibrahim.