Three men charged over Sydney home invasions and sexual assaults

Three men have been detained after two women were allegedly assaulted during separate home invasions in Sydney’s south-west, with police saying the gang targeted women living alone with money.

New South Wales police were called to a home invasion in Arncliffe at about midnight on Tuesday morning.

Officers were told a group of men forced entry into the home and threatened a 31-year-old woman with a knife before sexually assaulting her and stealing money. The woman, who did not know the men, was taken to hospital with “minor” physical injuries, police said on Friday.

Officers separately responded to a reported home invasion at a unit in Bankstown at about 12.30am on Thursday, police said.

Police were told three men allegedly forced entry into the unit before assaulting a 32-year-old woman and stealing money. The woman, who again did not know the men, was taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries, police said.

Sex crimes squad commander Det Supt Virginia Gorman said police believed the three men had planned the alleged offences.

“I believe that these men had done some research and they believed that these women might be home alone and they might have money on the premises. So they were specifically targeted,” she told reporters.

Gorman described the alleged offences as “very violent”.

“Excessively violent for three men armed with a weapon against vulnerable women home alone,” she said.

“They were armed with a knife. They used duct tape to restrain them. They had duct tape over their mouths. They assaulted the women, punching a woman. You don’t need to do that to overcome a solo female. The violence is over the top for what they’ve done.”

Detectives, supported by the riot squad, raided three properties in Belmore, Punchbowl and Greenacre at about 7.45pm on Thursday.

A 20-year-old man arrested in Belmore was charged with aggravated break and enter, depriving a person of their liberty, choking and common assault, along with other offences.

A 19-year-old man arrested in Punchbowl and charged with aggravated break and enter, choking and aggravated sexual assault, along with other offences.

An 18-year-old man arrested in Greenacre was charged with aggravated break and enter, choking and common assault, along with other offences.

“The offences are very serious … because the violence they [allegedly] committed was of the highest order,” Gorman said.

All three men were due to face local courts on Friday.

Police alleged the men “were on their way to target another person” when arrested on Thursday night. “We’ll be further investigating that matter,” the sex crimes squad commander said.

Police said the women were being supported as they recovered from the attacks.

“Physical injuries can be overcome … it’s the mental injuries of having a person invade your home and do that kind of [alleged] violence for them that would be a long time to recover from,” Gorman said.