A TEENAGER who dragged a woman off a Bathurst street before subjecting her to a violent sexual assault has been jailed for 18 years, with a non-parole period of 12 years.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Alan Simmons, now 19, was sentenced in the Downing Centre District Court before Judge McLennan.
Simmons was 18 at the time of the 90-minute assault and was charged by police just days after the August 2015 attack.
The matters against Simmons were part-heard in a committal hearing before magistrate Roger Clisdell in November last year, when Simmons pleaded guilty to six counts of aggravated sexual assault inflicting actual bodily harm.
Other charges including taking and detaining a person, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of sexual intercourse without consent were withdrawn and dismissed.
Police facts tendered to the court told how Simmons grabbed the victim as she was walking along Russell Street before dragging her into a nearby paddock and subjecting her to a violent sexual assault which went on for 90 minutes. During the assault, Simmons told his victim: “I’m raping you because you like it.”
After the assault Simmons left the scene and the partly clothed victim fled to a nearby house seeking help. The homeowner called police and paramedics.
The victim was taken to Bathurst Base Hospital and treated for internal injuries, facial cuts, bruising and swelling.
The court also heard how the victim was attacked from behind, with Simmons grabbing her as she walked home from work.
After setting upon the victim, he dragged her 50 metres towards the Macquarie River before throwing her to the ground and delivering a series of punches to her face before attempting to remove her pants.
During the 90-minute period, he repeatedly raped the victim before he left her in the paddock.
In sentencing Simmons, Judge McLennan confirmed the plea of guilty by the District Court at Penrith on April 10, 2017, following committal of the matter from the Penrith Local Court on November 4, 2016.
Judge McLennan sentenced Simmons to a term of imprisonment for 18 years to start on August 2, 2015 and expiring on August 1, 2033 with a non-parole period of 12 years. Simmons will first be eligible for parole on August 1, 2027.
The court back-dated the sentence to commence when the offender was taken into custody.