Road trip rapist ‘guilty’
Backpacker kidnapper to undergo psych test
A CAIRNS man has admitted to holding a British backpacker against her will while he repeatedly raped her during a horror road trip through outback Queensland.
Torture and rape charges against Marcus Allen Keith Martin had initially been listed for a trial to start next week but the case will now be adjourned until next year while he undergoes a psychiatric assessment.
Mr Martin, 24, pleaded guilty in the Cairns District Court yesterday to raping the woman at a number of locations including Goldsborough Valley, Rockhampton and Banana between March 2 and 5 last year.
He had also pleaded guilty to deprivation of liberty between February 22 and March 6 last year.
Ten charges including torture, serious cruelty to animals and eight counts of rape were dropped following his pleas of guilty, which were entered via videolink because Mr Martin is remanded in custody.
Crown prosecutor Gelma Meoli said the rape charges “have been rolled into … three incidents rather than a number of incidents given his plea of guilty”.
It is alleged Mr Martin met the woman in Cairns sometime before the horrific twoweek ordeal.
Following his arrest in March last year Mr Martin first appeared in the Roma Magistrates Court before the matters were transferred to Cairns.
Earlier this year he pleaded guilty to a number of charges including supplying dangerous drugs, assault occasioning bodily harm, choking/strangulation, possessing dangerous drugs and wilful damage.
Defence barrister Josh Trevino asked for the matter to be adjourned until the new year.
“Now that he has entered those pleas and the Crown has discontinued the rest of the charges, it is envisaged that Mr Martin will be assessed by a psychiatrist,” Mr Trevino said.
“But that will take some time until a psychiatrist can be arranged to visit him in prison.”
The case was listed for mention in February.