Rahma El-Dennaoui "... probably died in her home and her family concocted an abduction hoax to conceal the child's death,"

Detective suspects Rahma El-Dennaoui's relatives

Peter Bodkin 
The Daily Telegraph
November 09, 2012 12:00AM

POLICE believe toddler Rahma El-Dennaoui probably died in her home and her family concocted an abduction hoax to conceal the child's death, an inquest heard yesterday.

But the officer who has led the investigation into her disappearance for nearly seven years admitted there was little "hard evidence" to support many of his suspicions.

Where is Rahma El-Dennaoui ?

Detective-Sergeant Nick Sedgwick told an inquest his focus had recently turned to Rahma's immediate family due to "inconsistencies and deceit" from several key witnesses.

"(That) led me to believe that Rahma has died at (her) house ... and that the abduction scenario has been staged and her body disposed of," he said.

The 20-month-old was last reportedly seen at her family's Lurnea home about 2am on November, 2010, when her father Hosayn El-Dennaoui said he put her to sleep next to her two sisters. A hole was found cut in the fly screen above her bed later that day. Her family denies involvement in her disappearance.Investigators previously explored theories a paedophile abducted and killed Rahma, or that she had been kidnapped and taken to Lebanon, among other possibilities.

Sgt Sedgwick said he now believed it was "unlikely" the toddler was abducted and she probably died in an "accident or mishap" at home.

He said his suspicion was based on several pieces of evidence, which included Rahma's bed being placed in an unusual position under the window that night and recent telephone intercepts in which relatives referred to police "digging up" her body.

"I find that talk unusual for family members who believe she may still be alive."

Sgt Sedgwick said it was also an "extraordinary coincidence" that the family now claimed to have moved a large cable reel - which would have helped a kidnapper to reach through Rahma's window - into their front yard on the day before the disappearance of the child.

But under cross-examination from David Evenden, representing Mr El-Dennaoui, Sgt Sedgwick said he had thought for "many years" that Rahma had been abducted.

He admitted that police could have better explored potential family involvement in her disappearance early in the investigation - but they pursued other leads when they uncovered no history of violence or abuse in the household.

More.

Rahma El-Dennaoui

Over a year to examine suspect's van

POLICE didn't forensically examine vehicles belonging to a prime suspect in Rahma El-Dennaoui's disappearance until 18 months after she vanished.

Waiting for news of baby Rahma

THE family of Rahma El-Dennaoui still hopes for news of the girl who vanished more than six years ago, an inquest heard yesterday.

Rahma's sister told police of 'monster in the dark'

INQUEST hears missing toddler Rahma El-Dennaoui may have accidentally taken drugs the night before she disappeared.

Family's fear of Rahma search

RELATIVES of missing toddler Rahma El-Dennaoui feared police would dig up their family farms in a search for the little girl's body.

Rahma's uncle doubts kidnap rumour

RUMOURS of toddler Rahma El-Dennaoui being kidnapped and taken to Lebanon were "bulls**t", the missing girl's uncle told an inquest.

Searching for Rahma

FOR Alyaa and Hosayn el-Dennaoui, nobody will ever replace their lost little girl Rahma but there was joy last week when their 12th child was born.

Child's terrified cries in the night

MORE than six years after she vanished in the night, the mystery of Rahma El-Dennaoui continues to deepen.

Inquest hears 'jokes' about Rahma

A WITNESS discussing "shots" in secretly taped conversations with Rahma El-Dennaoui's father says the term referred to bird hunting, not drugs.

Female Genital Mutilation Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community divided,magistrate says.

Muslims divided on genital mutilation, magistrate says

Paul Bibby
Court Reporter
SMH
November 9, 2012

SYDNEY'S close-knit Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community is starkly divided over allegations of female genital mutilation made against some of its members, a court has heard, with debate raging in the community's online chat forums.
The revelations came during a failed attempt by a sheikh and a retired nurse from the community, who have been charged over the genital mutilation of two young girls, to have their names kept from the public.

Sheikh Shabbir Mohammedbhai Vaziri, 56, and Helen Magennis, 68, have been charged over the genital mutilation of a six-year-old girl and seven-year-old girl in separate incidents between October 2010 and July this year.

Police say Ms Magennis carried out the procedures on the two girls in suburban homes in Wollongong and Baulkham Hills while Sheikh Vaziri was allegedly an accessory - harbouring, maintaining and assisting those involved.

It is also alleged the sheikh later instructed members of the Dawoodi Bohra community to lie to police about what had happened.
Six other members of the community, including the parents of the girls, are also facing charges over the alleged mutilations.

In overturning a suppression order on Sheikh Vaziri's name and refusing to grant one for Ms Magennis on Thursday, magistrate Brian van Zuylen said there was much debate in the Dawoodi Bohra community about genital mutilation practices.

''From the [police] statement of facts there appears to be very different views from members of the community participating in chat forums,'' he said
''Some seem to be supporting the procedures while other, more moderate members are vehemently opposed.''

The lawyer for Ms Magennis, Elee Georges, said he had received instructions the ''whole community is against'' the practices. He also said he didn't expect the matter to go to trial because the medical evidence against his client was weak.

''The medical evidence, at its highest, is unable to confirm or deny [that the procedures took place],'' he said.
Mr Georges and the lawyer for Sheikh Vaziri, David Randle, argued the publication of their clients' names would prevent the defendants from getting a fair trial, and could lead to the identification of the two alleged victims.

But Mr Van Zuylen rejected the arguments, noting the public interest in open justice.

''The court isn't convinced that identifying these people would lead to an inevitable tracing back and identifying of the [alleged] victims,'' he said.
''Nor would it prevent the proper administration of justice or interfere with the opportunity for a fair trial.''

Mr Georges also said his client was suffering from a number of medical problems, including type II diabetes and osteoarthritis, and that continuing publicity of her role in the case would cause ''ongoing, significant undue distress''.

He said Ms Magennis's husband had received a threatening letter following publication of the alleged crime, and she had been harassed by the media.

''She's had people coming to her door … knocking on her back window,'' Mr Georges said.
All eight members of the community charged in relation to the genital mutilations will re-appear in court in February next year.

Sydney's Occupied Territories:Sheik Shabbir Mohammedbhai Vaziri and Helen Magennis, charged with Female Genital Mutilation

From Sydney's Occupied Territories: Sheik and a Nurse charged over Female Genital Mutilation

Multicultural Australia we were warned two years ago