WARNING: Confronting details
A man’s chilling threat to burn a woman alive during a terrifying home invasion where he menaced a couple with an air pistol before tying up and raping the female victim has been revealed in court.
The man’s “premeditated and calculated” plan was set into action after he discovered the woman had a new partner, triggering the pair’s horrifying ordeal in the dead of night.
It ended with a heinous sexual assault before the man, 56, discarded the weapon in the woman’s backyard and tried to clean up the crime scene.
As she begged not to be shot, the man told her: “You might not die today from being shot. I’m going to get petrol and burn you alive.”
Brisbane District Court on Thursday was told the man had bugged the woman’s rental property with a CCTV camera and audio device all installed without her permission.
Listening to her private conversations picked up by the devices, he discovered she was seeing other people.
On the night of February 11, 2022, the man approached the property carrying an air pistol and a bag filled with zipties and duct tape.
The court was told the woman woke to her dog barking.
She alerted her partner when she saw the man armed with the weapon inside the house. He began questioning her about “the man in her bed”, the court was told.
Crown prosecutor Carla Ahern said the defendant ziptied the woman’s wrists together and gagged her with duct tape.
He continued menacing the pair with the air pistol, demanding to know if they were in a sexual relationship.
Ms Ahern said the defendant punched the man in the face and struck him in the back of the head with the gun before he ran to get help.
The defendant then took the woman into the bedroom, removing her restraints and sexually assaulting her in the bed.
Asked by the woman if he was going to shoot her, the man said: “I haven’t decided yet. Turn over so I can keep f***ing you.”
Afterwards, Ms Ahern said the man cleaned up the scene, wiping down the weapon and placing some items in a bag before hiding the air pistol in the backyard.
Upon his arrest, the man told police he and the woman had “consensual sex”.
“His offending was premeditated and calculated,” Ms Ahern said.
“He (the man) knew the complainant was there, attending in the early hours of the morning … he restrained her, assaulted her and her partner and used threats to commit the sexual offences against her.”
Ms Ahern said the man also tried to hide his offending in the aftermath but said his pleas of guilty to the offences had saved the complainants from giving evidence in a trial.
The man pleaded guilty to six charges, including rape, sexual assault, assault occasioning bodily harm while armed, deprivation of liberty and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Before issuing a head sentence of 10 years’ jail, Judge Byrne called the man’s offending “atrocious”.
“Your conduct has altered the trajectory of the (woman’s life) in a deleterious manner forever,” he said.
“It initially completely debilitated this woman’s capacity to survive on a day-by-day basis.”
A serious violent offence declaration was also made, meaning the man will need to serve 80 per cent of his sentence before being eligible to apply for parole.
More than two years he spent in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served.
Defence barrister James Godbolt said his client had expressed genuine remorse.
He told the court the victim herself had said the man had repeatedly expressed how sorry he was following the offending.
The man had also completed courses to deal with violence while in custody on remand and was seeking to complete more upon his sentencing.
Multiple references spoke of the man being a “strong and productive” member of society, with Judge Byrne noting they created a “dichotomy” compared to his horrifying offending.