Torture case in court

Young Warwick woman in alleged kidnapping ordeal

A young Warwick woman who was allegedly tortured, beaten and raped during a horrifying hours-long kidnapping may learn the fates of her alleged attackers in the coming weeks.

Duane Edward Nixon of Gatton and Melinda Maree Orchard of Warwick had their matters briefly mentioned in the Warwick District Court on Monday.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Tegan

Little, told the court that Mr Nixon’s matters were close to being finalised but there was still some case conferencing needed between the Crown and Ms Orchard’s lawyers.

Judge Dennis Lynch said it would be preferable to have the co-accused sentenced at the same time.

He asked for Ms Orchard’s legal team to update the court on Wednesday as to how the matter would proceed.

Both Mr Nixon and Ms Orchard remain in custody.

They face one charge each of bestiality, rape, torture, kidnapping, extortion, assault occasioning bodily harm, robbery while armed in company, recording in breach of privacy, and assault.

Mr Nixon is further charged with another two counts of rape and one of possessing dangerous drugs, and Ms Orchard, who is aged in her 40s, is charged with an unrelated count of possessing drug utensils.

Police allege Mr Nixon, aged in his 50s, went to the 22year-old woman’s home on the evening of February 25, 2022, and demanded she get in his vehicle, then picked up his co-accused on the way to another Warwick house.

The couple allegedly held the woman against her will and tortured her for hours, including the man bashing her legs with a metal bar and the woman holding a large kitchen knife to her throat.

It will also be alleged the Gatton man raped the woman both digitally and with his penis before his co-accused used a male pit bulldog to rape the victim while her partner filmed it on his phone.

Police claim the pair also forced the woman to call the Warwick Criminal Investigation Branch and leave a voicemail falsely confessing to being involved in another crime before releasing her.

Warwick officers searched the home where the couple was staying the next day, allegedly finding the woman with a bracelet and phone stolen from the 22-year-old along with the graphic recording on the Gatton man’s phone.