DISCLAIMER: This article contains graphic details that some readers might find disturbing

A court heard horrific details of a gang rape involving five men, two of which were minors.

The accused are Hussen Haj Hebbo, 18, a Syrian national residing in Żejtun and employed in construction; Mohamad Alrmo Hamdo, 18, unemployed; Redwan Alhaj Hamo Albashar Ibrahim, 20, a construction worker and two minors aged 17 and 16, also Syrian, whose names cannot be published by court order. All five accused are pleading not guilty to the charges being brought against them.

Inspector Lydon Zammit provided a detailed testimony of the night. The sequence of events began with the victim ordering a cab ride from Sliema to the south of the island.

The vehicle, which was later identified, dropped her off at a residence in Wied il-Għajn. The driver of said cab was later traced by police and confirmed that the victim was alone in the taxi.

When the victim arrived at her destination, one of the five accused was seen leaving the residence to go and meet her and was seen returning to the residence seven minutes later with the victim. 

The court heard how the victim was lured into the residence under what she believed were safe pretences. However, the situation shifted within minutes of her arrival.

The victim testified that inside the residence, there was total darkness and the accused were navigating their way around using the torches of their mobile phones. 

It was explained how upon her arrival, the men paid the victim €150 to message her employer that she was safe, after they had covered her mouth with a tissue soaked in what tasted like surgical spirit.

The assault was described to be long and violent. One of the men, who remained armed throughout the assault, subjected her to oral sex. A second individual then joined, while the first man switched to penetrating her in her vagina as well as in her anus.

The court was told that as the abuse was occurring, one of the men used his phone to record a video of the assault.

Immediately following the rape, the men ordered the victim to put her clothes back on before they robbed her of her personal belongings. These included a necklace, a bracelet, her Airpods, as well as €200 in cash. 

Once they had stolen almost all the victim's belongings, CCTV footage shows the five men leaving the residence at 10:30pm where they turned into a nearby alleyway and walked towards the Marsascala playing field, where they eventually split up.

The victim's escape was marked by extreme caution. She testified that she remained completely still for 10 minutes after the men left, fearing that if she moved, they would see her on the residence's security cameras and return. She finally left the premises at 10:40 PM. She knew the time because the men had left her phone with her.

She decided not to wash the clothes that she was wearing that night, preserving the forensic evidence that would later become necessary for the prosecution's case.

After the incident, three of the accused went to buy some goods from a grocery store, where their faces were later identified by the shop's security cameras. 

When the police raided the residence on 17 April, they found physical evidence that clearly matched the victim's testimony. These included empty alcohol bottles, contraceptives, and a bottle of surgical spirit.

The case continues as the court examines the digital video evidence and the potential links to other similar reports involving the same gang.

This court was presided over by Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo.

Lawyers Jeanpaul Sammut, Kyle Briffa, Matthew Mamo, Franco Debono, Adreana Zammit and Martina Herrera represented the accused.

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