Father's blow in hitman case
A MAN who tried to get a hitman to kill his teenage son's rape victim has lost an appeal against his 14-year sentence.
Chaouki Bou-Antoun, 52, was jailed in 2006 for soliciting to murder.
Bou-Antoun, a plumber, paid an undercover policeman posing as an assassin $3,000 to shoot a 16-year-old girl who had accused his son of raping her.
Bou-Antoun acted as a middle-man between his son, Khater, and the undercover operative to arrange the $23,000 hit.
He made a downpayment and told the officer he wanted the girl raped, shot in the stomach, eye and forehead to maximise the pain before death.
The Lebanese-born father of five appealed his 14-year term, arguing that his role had been overstated by the sentencing judge.
But the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal today dismissed his bid, and upheld both the maximum and minimum 10-year terms.
"Of course the killing was not in fact carried out, so that there was no involvement in gratuitous cruelty in committing the offence of soliciting to murder," said Justice Michael Grove.
"However, it was intended."
"The criminal enterprise was embarked upon in all seriousness.
"In this case,for the reasons given by his Honour (the sentencing judge) concerning the intended barbarism and cruelty, the level (of criminality) must be very high, and the finding that it is a crime above the mid-range of seriousness is unchallengeable."
Justices Carolyn Simpson and Graham Barr agreed with Justice Grove's ruling.
Khater Bou-Antoun was also jailed for at least 14 years in 2006 for raping the girl and trying to have her killed.
He will be eligible for parole in 2017, with his father first eligible for release in 2013.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23142979-5006009,00.html
Topic: A MAN who tried to get a hitman to kill his teenage son's rape victim (Read 740 times)