Malaysian pilot jailed 13 years for 1996 rape of Perth woman

 

Alfred Gerard broke into a woman's home, tied her up and sexually assaulted her more than 20 years ago. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER

A Malaysian man has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for breaking into the home of an Australian woman in Perth, tying her up and repeatedly sexually assaulting her more than 20 years ago, ABC News reported.

The report said 50-year-old Alfred Gerard Eravelly, a pilot, was charged with the crime last year when he passed through Sydney on his way to New Zealand with his family, not knowing that there was an arrest warrant against him. 

The District Court was told that the detectives had matched samples taken from the 1996 crime scene with Eravelly's DNA, which was on an international database as he had committed what was described as a minor sexual offence in Florida in 2000.

Eravelly, who was married with two children during the time of his arrest, was studying in Perth in 1996.

On the night of the attack, he had armed himself with a knife and covered his head with a stocking before entering the then 38-year-old woman's home through a bathroom window.

He then tied her hands behind her back and blindfolded her before repeatedly sexually assaulting her. 

However, Eravelly denied any wrongdoing and maintained that he had met the woman at a hotel and had consensual sex, but was earlier this year found guilty of charges including burglary, deprivation of liberty and sexual penetration without consent.

District Court judge Philip Eaton said he had no hesitation in finding that Eravelly's account of events "was fabricated" and that it had been "roundly rejected by the jury". 

He said Eravelly, who was living in Penang with his family, remained in denial about what had happened, which meant he had no remorse or empathy for the victim.

The report said Eravelly will have to serve 11 years of his sentence and will be eligible for release on parole in 2028 with time served. 


Source: StraitsTimes