Southwest Sydney high school allegedly at the centre of hate crime investigation

A southwestern Sydney high school is allegedly at the centre of a police youth gang investigation into hate crimes across the city — including the bashing of gay and Asian men.

An investigation by 7NEWS.com.au can reveal police have identified at least eight members of the teen gang, while at least six attacks are in the spotlight.

Five teens have already been charged with crimes that range from firearms offences and knife possession to aggravated assault and robbery.

Other gang members are having their homes raided and mobile phones seized as police trawl through their text messages and videos searching for more evidence.

None of the gang members can be identified publicly because they are minors.

Police documents seen by 7NEWS.com.au reveal that teachers at a southwestern Sydney school were recently shown CCTV stills that confirmed involvement in the alleged crimes by their students.

In the first known attack by the gang, discovered after police obtained one suspect’s mobile phone, a video dated August 6 shows an Asian male crouched while surrounded by at least four youths.

They kick the victim’s head and torso no less than nine times in 14 seconds, the police documents reveal.

In the video as described in the documents, one young male can be heard screaming: “What now, what now Asian?”.

Police are also investigating two incidents that occurred within hours of each other on August 18.

The first involves an attack by the group on a male at Sydenham train station in the late afternoon.

One of the males hit the victim with a hook punch.

Four members then combined to strike the victim as he lay on the ground.

The victim got to his feet and tried to flee but one gang member then grabbed his hood and hit his head at least six times.

The incident was captured in its entirety by the train station’s CCTV, according to the police documents.

Just hours later, it is alleged the gang would be involved in another bashing at Hurstville Westfield.

In another attack in Marrickville, the gang shoved a lone male victim to the ground then repeatedly kicked and punched him.

His face was trapped with a milk crate, the police documents say.

He was punched, kicked and stomped on as he lay curled on the ground.

Police have not been able to lay assault charges as the victim has not come forward, but a video of the attack was found on the phone of a gang member.

In one text message uncovered, a gang member boasts “we cracked some c*** in the city last night”.

In another incident, eight members of the gang attacked and robbed a 25-year-old man who was walking alone at Wiley Park.

He was repeatedly punched in the face, the police documents reveal.

Text messages show the gang talking about the attack.

“Aye get the f*** out of the area now, cops are on us, chopper out apparently as well,” one says at the time.

“We belted this pedo and robbed him and he snitched,” another says later.

7NEWS.com.au can reveal that police recently searched a home in Belfield as part of the investigation into the youth gang.

They have also been intercepting phone calls from associates already behind bars.

In the sixth known attack by the gang, a 51-year-old male was lured to Wiley Park close to midnight by a teen using the gay dating app Grindr.

Four men described by the victim as Middle Eastern young people with their faces covered then leapt from hiding places and attacked him with wooden sticks.

One attacker raised a kitchen knife and demanded his phone.

The victim suffered a fractured eye socket and broken nose.

A NSW Police spokeswoman confirmed they were “currently actively investigating a number of assaults across the state, particularly in Western and South-Western Sydney”.

“As the investigations remain ongoing, no further information is available at this time.

“NSW is a diverse collection of communities, and we all need to make it clear that we do not tolerate or accept crimes or incidents based on bias or hate.”

Police have not yet formally identified many of the victims.

“Incidence of bias-related crimes — motivated by perceptions of sexuality or gender — are always treated seriously by the NSW Police Force,” the spokeswoman said.

“The Engagement & Hate Crime Unit closely monitors all hate crime related incidents in NSW and assists investigators when subject matter expertise is required.”

“Anyone who believes they may be a victim or witness of a gay hate related crime, is encouraged to report the matter to police or LGBTQI Liaison Officers so it can be investigated.”

One of the teen gang members is facing Parramatta Children’s Court on two charges of robbery.

Another is facing Parramatta Children’s Court with one charge of robbery and one charge of possessing an unauthorised prohibited firearm.

Another gang member has been charged with robbery, two counts of common assault and one count of affray. He is facing both Parramatta and Surry Hills children’s courts.

A separate gang member is facing charges of aggravated robbery and custody of a knife in a public place. They will face Parramatta Children’s Court.

Meanwhile, one of the gang members is facing eight charges of “carried in conveyance taken without consent”. They will face Parramatta and Surry Hills children’s courts.

At least two of the youths have so far not been charged by police.