Airbnb nighttime gang rapists jailed for up to 14 years after Newcastle attacks

Three men have been convicted of the ‘humiliating and horrific’ gang rape of three ‘terrified’ teenagers in an Airbnb apartment during a money party weekend in Newcastle.

Maurice Hawell, 30, Andrew David, 30, and Marius Hawell, 23, were convicted Friday of the attacks committed in February 2022 ahead of older Hawell brother’s wedding.

Judge Gina O’Rourke jailed Maurice Hawell for 14 years with a minimum term of eight years and six months, while David received 13 years and a non-parole term of seven years and nine months.

Marius Hawell will serve a minimum of five years and five months of the maximum nine-year sentence.

The three were among nine men who rented an Airbnb became the scene of a nightmare for two 18-year-old friends and a 19-year-old girl who were gang-raped over two nights.

The Hawell brothers and David were found guilty in July of participating in a joint criminal enterprise to sexually abuse the women after a weeks-long trial in the NSW District Court.

Judge O’Rourke described the men’s actions as ‘humiliating and horrific’.

All three had received letters of support from female relatives and loved ones.

Three men have been convicted of the ‘humiliating and horrific’ gang rape of three ‘terrified’ teenagers in an Airbnb apartment during a money party weekend in Newcastle. Andrew David (above) was given 13 years and a non-parole term of seven years and nine months

But Judge O’Rourke said their crimes were “in stark contrast to how their mothers, wives, girlfriends and sisters have described them.”

That weekend, the men “with a pack mentality were able to treat three young women in this cold, callous, demeaning and criminal manner,” Judge O’Rourke said.

“And also to participate in the breakfast on each of the mornings afterward, at which the group of men attending this buck’s party bragged about having sex with the women who visited the apartment, and ridiculed one perpetrator for had sex with a young woman.’

After testifying against the rapists and convincing a jury of their guilt, two of their teenage victims described the lasting effects of what was done to them.

The 19-year-old said she was ‘terrified to face the world’ after being sexually assaulted by Maurice Hawell and David in a dark room as Marius watched on Saturday evening.

She told the court in a victim impact statement read by a counselor that she felt vulnerable, suffered panic attacks and “couldn’t leave my house alone” in the months that followed.

“From constantly being surrounded by friends to wanting to be left alone, I felt myself deeply losing myself,” the victim said.

“I started to blame myself for letting it happen.”

Maurice Hawell, 30, Andrew David, 30, and Marius Hawell, 23, were convicted Friday of the attacks committed in February 2022 ahead of older Hawell brother’s wedding. Maurice Hawell (above) was jailed for fourteen years, with a minimum of eight years and six months

The attack, which the woman “never thought she would endure,” had changed her life forever.

“I was known for being cheerful, outgoing and constantly surrounded by my friends,” she said.

‘After the attack I felt vulnerable, terrified to face the world [and] struggled to find my happiness.

‘It took months and months to find myself again, to find my happiness and find my purpose in life.

“I look back now and am so proud of what I overcame.”

The 19-year-old said she had suffered countless sleepless nights thinking about what she could have done differently that night to prevent the gang rape.

She had testified that she was approached on the street by Maurice Hawell, who used a fake name when he persuaded her to come to the Airbnb for drinks.

Instead of giving her a drink, Maurice pushed her onto the bed and asked her to have a threesome with him and David.

Marius Hawell (above) will serve a minimum of five years and five months of the maximum nine-year sentence

The three were among nine men who rented an Airbnb (above), which became the scene of a nightmare for two 18-year-old friends and a 19-year-old girl who were gang-raped over two nights.

The woman refused, but David knelt on her shoulders and pushed his penis into her mouth while Maurice Hawell raped her.

One of the 18-year-old victims said the Friday night gang rape had taken a “huge emotional toll” on every aspect of her life.

“This event has left me with no confidence in the people around me,” she said in her victim impact statement, which was read out by the same volunteer.

‘I’m afraid to go out and have fun, something I loved to do.

‘I couldn’t trust any man around me… it’s unfair that I have to regain my trust in people.’

The 18-year-old and her friend were tied to beds and assaulted when they entered a bedroom to retrieve their phones while trying to leave the Airbnb.

Since the rapes, the woman has had constant flashbacks and feelings of guilt about what happened, which affected the way she viewed the world.

She had been raped by a man she could not see, while another man knelt on her arms and put his penis in her mouth.

At the same time, the other 18-year-old was held down on an adjacent bed and stripped naked by a ‘swarm’ of men before being raped.

“The perpetrators have definitely made me and my family think very differently about the world we live in and where society has come,” the woman said.

“I’m so proud of myself for… having the courage to show the world what some people are really capable of.”

All three men maintain their innocence, with Maurice Hawell and David claiming the sexual activity was consensual, and Marius Hawell insisting he did not perform any sexual acts during the money weekend.

All three have indicated they plan to appeal their convictions.