Editing Sydney gang rapes (section)

==New laws==
The gang rapes led to the passage of new legislation through the [[Parliament of New South Wales]], increasing the sentences for gang rapists by creating a new category of crime known as "aggravated sexual assault in company".<ref name="AustLII CA s61ja">{{cite web | title = SECT 61JA | work = Crimes Act 1900 | publisher = [[AustLII|Australasian Legal Information Institute]] | url = http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/ca190082/s61ja.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref>

Also, in the course of one of the trials, the defendants refused counsel, as they believed that "all lawyers were against [[Muslim]]s". This led to the contentious prospect of the defendants being able to cross-examine the witnesses, including the victims, a situation that was averted by further legislation being put through the state parliament.<ref name="AustLII CPA s294a">{{cite web | title = SECT 294A | work = Criminal Procedure Act 1986 | publisher =Australasian Legal Information Institute | url = http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/cpa1986188/s294a.html | access-date = 30 July 2006 }}</ref>

Actions taken by government ministers, including [[Premier of New South Wales]] [[Bob Carr]], who publicly identified the perpetrators' background, led to controversy. Ethnic community group leaders, including [[Keysar Trad]] of the [[Lebanese Muslim Association]], complained that Carr was smearing the entire Lebanese Muslim community with the crimes of a few of its members and that his public comments would stir up [[ethnic hatred]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Carr accused of stirring racism |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/carr-accused-of-stirring-racism-20031016-gdhli4.html |access-date=20 June 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=16 October 2003 |language=en}}</ref>

The first court case heard under the new sentencing regime concerned the [[Ashfield gang rapes]] of girls by [[Pakistani people|Pakistani]] and [[Nepal]]ese immigrants in [[Ashfield, New South Wales|Ashfield]] on 28 July 2002.<ref>{{cite news |title=History of infamy |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/history-of-infamy-20050722-gdlqd6.html |access-date=20 June 2024 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=22 July 2005 |language=en}}</ref>