‘Vile’ rapist off to jail
A CAIRNS woman has described suffering panic attacks and paranoia after becoming the victim of a “terrifying” attack and rape where the offender lured her outside by cutting the power to her house.
When the attack happened in December 2017 she thought the man had been a stranger and it was only through DNA testing that she learned he was her cultural nephew.
Details of the disturbing and “vile” assault were described in the Cairns District Court yesterday where the 22-year-old was handed a nine-year jail sentence.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of enter with intent and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.
The Cairns Post cannot name the offender to protect the identity of the woman.
The court heard the man had been on a week-long drinking binge after the death of his uncle when he went to the woman’s Gordonvale home at 4am. His defence barrister Josh Trevino said he had no memory of the events.
The woman was woken by her dog growling before she walked to the carpark and spotted him shirtless inside her bedroom.
He fled but a short time later the power went out and when she went to check the power box he attacked, putting her in a headlock and dragging her inside by her hair as she screamed for help.
He held her down on her daughter’s bed and raped her.
“This was an act of violence against someone who should have been safe in the sanctity of her own home,” Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald said.
“She certainly thought she was being raped by a stranger. He was someone she should have been able to trust.”
She read out the victim impact statement where the woman described sleepless nights, hypervigilance and panic attacks.
“It has changed me quite a lot. I’ve become a person who stays indoors most of the time. I have found now that I am wary of the opposite sex,” she said.
Mr Treviso told the court his client was “deeply ashamed” and has no idea why he committed the offences.
“He told me he’s really sorry for what he did, he never thought he’d do anything like this.”
He has a criminal history extending back four years which included acting as a lookout while co-offenders bashed a Korean tourist.
Judge Dean Morzone said: “what you did was the most vile conduct and profound disrespect to her as a woman”.
He did not set a parole eligibility date, but also did not make a serious violent offender declaration which would ensure he served 80 per cent of his sentence.