The father of four Pakistani gang rapists has been arrested for perjury in Australia

Natasha Wallace:

WHEN the father of four Pakistani gang rapists was asked how he could deny his sons' attacks, he replied: "It is to go before Allah. We all have to stand before God in the end."

However, it is the western Sydney GP who will now stand before a court, after he was arrested for perjury in regard to alibi evidence he gave at their trial; that he was awake and praying on the night of the rapes.

The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the NSW Supreme Court in November 2003 that his sons, MSK, MAK, MRK and MMK, and their friend RS, could not possibly have gang raped two girls at the men's Ashfield home.

During the first trial of MSK and MAK, who represented themselves, the father told the court that he recalled that on the night of the rapes, July 28, 2002, he had gone to bed just before sunrise, having prayed on a mat in a corridor for much of the night.

After the four sons were found guilty of nine counts each of aggravated sexual assault in company, the father insisted his boys were innocent.

He also told a Herald reporter that girls should not be out at that time of night. "What do they expect to happen to them? Girls from Pakistan don't go out at night," he said.

Sergeant Michael O'Rourke, who originally investigated the rapes, arrested the 66-year-old man at his Mount Druitt home on Saturday and charged him with perjury with intent to procure acquittal, after a recommendation by the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions, Nicholas Cowdery, QC. Charges were not laid against MSK and MAK, who used the alibi evidence from their father.

MSK, 27, MAK, 26, and MMK, 19, were sentenced on April 5 for several other rapes. Their father was not present.

After steadfastly denying all of the rapes for four years, MSK, MAK and MMK admitted the attacks last year. MSK is serving a minimum term of 22 years; MAK, 14 years; MRK, five years and MMK, 13 years. RS hung himself before sentencing.

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