Jekyll and Hyde rapist jailed
A convicted rapist described as having a ‘‘Jekyll and Hyde’’ personality has been jailed for 16 years.
In February, Shannon Andrew Pakiere Smith was found guilty of multiple sex charges, including raping two women.
His victims, a 15-year-old girl and an older woman, gave evidence at Smith’s trial, which was so harrowing at times it reduced jury members to tears.
The 37-year-old will have to serve eight and a half years before he is considered for release. Judge Garry Barkle said Smith still maintained he had not raped the women and showed little remorse for what he had done.
Throughout his trial, Smith maintained the sex with been consensual with both victims. Regarding the older victim, he said their encounters had replicated acts from the erotic romance novel 50 Shades of Grey.
However, the devastation Smith’s offending had on the victims and their families, and the toll the trial process had on them, could not be denied, the judge said.
‘‘The impact of your conduct has been profound. It is ongoing, it has been lifechanging and it will be longlasting.’’
He said he had read through the documentation defence counsel had filed about Smith prior to Friday’s sentencing. This included character references and letters of support.
‘‘Accepting those references it would seem you have somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde character,’’ Judge Barkle said, when comparing this information to the facts of the case.
In relation to the teen victim, Smith was sentenced on charges of abduction for sex, two counts of common assault, unlawful sexual connection and rape. The charges Smith faced in connection with the older victim were rape, common assault, a representative charge of common assault, a representative charge of rape, a representative charge of unlawful sexual connection and one charge of indecent assault.
The defendant pleaded guilty to three common assault charges on the morning of his trial.
As part of his sentence, Smith was added to the child sex offender register.