2021-03-01
10 years for burglar's violent sex attack on courageous victim who fought back
Stage: Sentence
Plea: Not guilty
Finding: Convicted
Outcome: Convicted; Mr Justice McDermott imposed a sentence of ten years for the aggravated sexual assault and seven and a half years for the burglary of the woman's home. He imposed a sentence of three years for the earlier burglary and 18 months for the attempted burglary with all sentences to run concurrently. "To this day I do not feel safe," the woman told the court in her victim impact statement, describing the effect of being attacked in the privacy of her own bedroom. "Nowhere feels safe." She said she lives in a state of "hyper-vigilance" and lives in constant fear it will happen again. "I am fighting hard to heal from the ordeal.