Latest news with #Bankstown
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Top cop answers the question on everyone's mind after a mother was bashed, stripped and kidnapped in front of her kids before she was burned alive
A high-profile detective has revealed the investigation into the gruesome murder of a mother could be hampered by terrified witnesses being too scared to speak out. Thi Kim Tran, 45, was grabbed at gunpoint from her Bankstown home, in southwest Sydney, by a group of five masked intruders on April 17 at about 10.30pm. She was forced to strip in her driveway and dragged to a waiting SUV while her eight-year-old son was bashed with a baseball bat and left for dead. Tran's body was found in the burnt-out vehicle near Beverly Hills, about 6km from her home, an hour later. Former Victoria Police homicide detective Charlie Bezzina told Daily Mail Australia the case was a shock to him and 'off the Richter Scale'. '(Australians) are not used to that level of crime and I say that because it involves assaults allegedly on children. Of all the cases I've dealt with, I've never had that,' he said. Police said on April 22 that their inquiries found Ms Tran and her children were 'likely targeted' due to her partner, Tung Nguyen's involvement in a criminal network. When asked why the investigation has taken so long, with no arrests made since that revelation, Mr Bezzina said witnesses may be too afraid of the alleged assailants. 'Any investigations undertaken into the underworld becomes very, very difficult because of a "cone of silence",' he said, a reference to prohibiting communication. '(The incident) sends a very clear message to all that the offenders have got no scruples which would send even more fear to anyone who might assist police.' It's believed a Vietnamese drug cartel messaged Mr Nguyen ransom countdown messages 20 minutes, 10 minutes and five minutes before Ms Tran's body was set alight. 'It's unclear if he was out of service range or what, but he didn't receive them,' a police source told The Daily Telegraph. Mr Bezzina said a cartel's alleged involvement could mean the murder was also a 'broader warning' to other criminals that the group is 'not to be messed with'. The former detective said those allegedly involved could also have fled the country which will further complicate the investigation. 'More often than not, the people who may well be involved depart overseas (if) the police get a whiff of who they (are),' he said. 'The problem is, in the early stages of investigation, (detectives) may have no idea to be able to put an alert on any points of departure.' NSW Police Homicide Squad commander Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi has previously revealed a gang was behind the savage murder. He said officers believed there was a 'conflict' between Mr Nguyen and 'upper echelons' of the organised crime network. 'This woman and her children were in no means involved or had knowledge of what their partner or their father was up to,' Det Supt Doueihi said. Mr Nguyen has been assisting investigators and has not been charged in relation to Ms Tran's death. Det Supt Doueihi alleged Mr Nguyen had worked for the organised crime group for 'several months' before the attack. He was previously known to police for minor drug-related offences, he said. Mr Bezzina warned there is a 'high possibility' the case might not be solved, claiming police 'can't really rely upon information coming forth'. 'But police won't be disheartened by that,' he said. 'They will just soldier on and continue as best they can. They will be going all out given the endless nature of this case.' Victoria Police executed a search warrant in April last year at an alleged drug lab in Springdallah, a rural Victorian town almost 1,000km from the Bankstown home. Officers seized items consistent with the manufacture of prohibited drugs and the property has been a key part of the investigation, sources said. They claimed a group of men had burst into a farmhouse on the property where drugs were being manufactured just weeks before Ms Tran's death, looking for Mr Nguyen. Mr Bezzina said the intelligence on the alleged lab was a 'positive sign'. 'It's a hard slog, especially dealing with these type of group of criminals,' he added. 'But the potential is always there (for police) to be able to solve it. They'll never give up.'
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE This man looks like any other anonymous Aussie bloke in a puffer jacket... behind the smirk is one of the most despicable monsters Australia has EVER seen
Gang rapist Mohammed Skaf's bare face has been seen in public for the first time in the 25 years since his unthinkable crimes shocked Australia. Skaf, 41 - with his brother Bilal - masterminded appalling pack rapes in the weeks before the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, landing him in prison for 21 years. Mohammed committed perhaps one of the sick rampage's most vile acts, luring a 16-year-old school friend to be raped by his brother in south-west Sydney - after asking permission from her mother to take her on a late night drive. Ever since his release over three years ago, a much more heavier-set Skaf has shielded his anonymity, wearing a medical face mask when he steps out in public. But it would be inappropriate to wear a mask while representing yourself in court - and this week the notorious ex-con showed his face in front of a magistrate. Skaf was the subject of an apprehended violence order application lodged two months ago on behalf of his 28-year-old sister - and housemate - Noora El Skaf, amid a family feud. He appeared in a black puffer jacket and cargo pants at Bankstown court on Wednesday afternoon where he expressed frustration at the restraining order. Asked by Magistrate Glenn Walsh where Ms El Skaf was, he replied 'she's back at home' - and was told that the orders of the AVO couldn't be varied in her absence. A clearly tense Skaf said his sister would not withdraw the AVO, until there was a date to come back to court. He was told in the order would continue in the interim, meaning he is on notice not to assault, threaten, harass or intimidate his sister, among other conditions. The order is complicated by the fact Skaf and his sister live together at their parents' Greenacre house in western Sydney, although Mohammed is believed to dwell in a kind of granny flat at the back of the property. The siblings, and their parents Baria and Mustapha, also share the family home with their younger brother, Hadi. Noora also has an interim domestic AVO against Hadi and the application will be heard at an hour-long hearing in October. After serving time several different maximum security prisons, Mohammed Skaf was finally released in 2021 after repeatedly being denied parole due to his lack of remorse or responsibility for his crimes. His older brother, Bilal, who led the depraved assaults will not be eligible for parole until at least 2033. Mohammed Skaf had until now hidden behind a series of masks to shield his identity during the four years since his release from prison after he perpetrated a series of vile pack rapes across south-west Sydney During a month-long spree of violence in the lead-up to the Games, the Skaf brothers and a group of roughly 12 accomplices trapped and attacked at least six women. The 14 men raped one victim 25 times in three different locations in a six-hour ordeal which ended with her being dumped at a train station after being hosed down. She was called an 'Aussie pig', told by Mohammed Skaf 'I'm going to f*** you Leb style' and asked if 'Leb c*** tasted better than Aussie c***'. But Mohammed's singular treachery was to betray his schoolfriend and her mother's trust in him. Both Mohammed and the victim went and saw her mother and got her consent as the trip was going to be on a Saturday night. The girl was just 16. Instead of taking her to the Harbour Bridge, Mohammed drove her to Gosling Park, a four minute drive from the Skaf residence in Greenacre. When he and two other males pressured her to have sex and she refused, Mohammed summoned his brother Bilal, who turned up in a van with 10 other men. Bilal grabbed her by the hair and the large group of men dragged her to the middle of the park and pulled off her clothes. Bilal and another man both raped her, but before she could be further assaulted, she broke free, ran across the park, only to be pursued by the men in their van. 'These men treated her much like wild animals treat prey they have just killed,' New South Wales District Court judge Michael Finnane said during sentencing. Judge Finnane described the rapes as 'worse than death'. Only nine of the rape pack were prosecuted and punished. All are free from prison today except ringleader Bilal. On release, Mohammed Skaf expressed hopes of building a new life after jail - with dreams of marriage, children, and a career in architecture. Instead, he has landed himself in further legal troubles, including multiple AVO applications – one of them filed for his own protection.
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Dr Zac Turner reveals the truth about cheese
Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from This week, Dr Zac Turner explores the truth about cheese. QUESTION: Dear Dr Zac, I've heard this crazy rumour that eating cheese before bed can give you nightmares. I love eating cheese and crackers after dinner while a watch a good movie, but lately, I've been waking up from some pretty whack dreams. – Effie, 29, Bankstown, NSW ANSWER: Double cream or troubled dreams? Let's slice into the truth. Blame it on Charles Dickens. In A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge famously blames his ghostly visions on 'a crumb of cheese.' But is your cheesy snack really to blame? In 2005, the British Cheese Board set out to investigate. They gave 200 people different cheeses before bed and tracked their dreams. The verdict? No link between cheese and nightmares. In fact, some cheeses — especially cheddar — were even associated with more pleasant dreams. Brie-lliant, you said? Still, plenty of people swear their dreams go wild after a cheese-fuelled snack. So let's look at what might really be happening under the rind. Cheese contains tyramine, a naturally occurring compound that, in theory, can stimulate the brain by triggering the release of norepinephrine — a chemical linked to alertness, and potentially, disrupted sleep. But here's the thing: • Most people eat 30–50 grams of cheese per sitting — just a few slices or cubes. • That delivers only a tiny amount of tyramine — nowhere near enough to whip your brain into dream overdrive. • And unless you're taking a rare class of antidepressants called MAO inhibitors, your body breaks it down just fine. In other words, your late-night snack is far more likely to be creamy than dreamy. And let's not forget: cheese is rarely eaten solo. If you're working your way through a cheese board with a few glasses of wine during that movie, alcohol could be the issue. Alcohol: it's a major sleep disrupter: • It suppresses REM sleep early on, then triggers REM rebound, leading to vivid, intense dreams. • The result? You wake feeling like you've been drowning in an ocean of fondue all night. So if your dreams are melting into madness, it might not be the blue … but the red, rose, or white that's at the wheel. Additionally, high-fat meals — especially those rich in saturated fats — can throw off your sleep. Studies show these foods are linked to lighter, more fragmented sleep and reduced deep sleep, which can lead to frequent wakings and more vivid or unsettling dreams. Bottom line? Unless you're on a rare medication that affects how you process tyramine, your cheese is off the hook. If anything, it's the rich meals, late timing, and alcohol pairings that stir up those surreal night narratives. And remember: Cheese is best paired with unpressed grapes and an early night. Sweet dreams — and yes, you can still keep your crackers. – Dr Zac Dr Zac Turner is a medical practitioner specialising in preventative health and wellness. He has four health/medical degrees – Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Sydney, Bachelor of Nursing at Central Queensland University, and Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast. He is a registrar for the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, and is completing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (UNSW). Dr Zac is the medical director for his own holistic wellness medical clinics throughout Australia, Concierge Doctors.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Bombshell claims emerge after Bankstown mum was kidnapped from her home and brutally murdered
Kidnappers who abducted a mother and shot her dead before leaving her in a burnt-out car had sent her husband countdown messages leading up to her execution. Thi Kim Tran, 45, was abducted at gunpoint from her Bankstown home, in Sydney 's south-west, on April 17, hours after she finished working at a nail salon. The mother-of-two was forced to strip naked in her driveway before a group of five masked intruders dragged her into an SUV about 10.30pm and drove away. The couple's eight-year-old son was also bashed with a baseball bat and left for dead, while their eldest son, 15, was left traumatised by the attack. The eight-year-old boy woke from a coma two weeks after the attack, in which he suffered severe head injuries. Ms Tran's body was found in a burning vehicle in nearby Beverly Hills, about 6km from her home, an hour later. Police believe the group of men who kidnapped Ms Tran had been pursuing her husband, Tung Nguyen, for weeks before turning their attention to his loved ones. Detectives are investigating if Ms Tran's kidnapping and murder were part of a ploy to force Mr Nguyen into paying a drug debt, T he Daily Telegraph revealed. 'There are conflicting reports as to how much was owed, anywhere between seven kilograms (worth roughly $1.2 million) and 70 kilograms (worth as much as $8 million),' a police source told The Daily Telegraph. It's alleged a Vietnamese drug cartel had messaged Mr Nguyen ransom countdown messages 20 minutes, 10 minutes and five minutes before stripping Ms Tran and setting her body alight. 'It's unclear if he was out of service range or what, but he didn't receive them,' the police source said. Investigators are working to find whether Ms Tran was shot in the head before the SUV fire. A bullet casing was discovered on the floor of the burnt-out vehicle, but forensic pathologists have been unable to confirm if there were bullet wounds on Ms Tran's charred remains. 'You'd expect we'd be able to say definitively one way or the other, but we can't,' the source said. NSW Police Homicide Squad commander Detective Superintendent Joe Doueihi earlier aired allegations that a gang was behind the murder in a press conference. He said officers believed there was a 'conflict' between Mr Nguyen and 'upper echelons' of the organised crime network. 'This woman and her children were in no means involved or had knowledge of what their partner or their father was up to,' Superintendent Doueihi said. Mr Nguyen has been assisting investigators and has not been charged in relation to Ms Tran's death. Superintendent Doueihi alleged Mr Nguyen had worked for the organised crime group for 'several months' before the attack. He was previously known to police for minor drug-related offences. The crime network Mr Nguyen was involved in allegedly manufactured. methamphetamine. A property in Springdallah, a rural Victorian town almost 1,000km away from the Bankstown home, was a key part of the investigation. The police source claimed a group of men had burst into a farmhouse on the property where drugs were being manufactured just weeks before Ms Tran's death. They were looking for Mr Nguyen. 'They broke in and beat up the workers who were there, so they'd been looking for him for some time,' the source said. Victoria Police raided the alleged drug lab in Springdallah as part of a collaboration with NSW Police Homicide Squad's Strike Force Bushfield. An associate of Mr Nguyen committed suicide in the weeks after Ms Tran's murder. However, police believe the man's death at a home in Balmain was due to the breakdown of a personal relationship, rather than guilt over the mother's death. Ms Tran's coworkers recalled her being 'happy and normal' as she finished work on the day of her death. As the Easter long weekend approached, she'd been excited to take extra days off and spend quality time with her children.
