Shane Huici: Depraved addict jailed over ‘heinous’ St Albans Park nursing home sex attack

A man who broke into a Geelong nursing home and attempted to rape an elderly resident has learned his fate, as a judge denounced his lack of remorse.

Shane Huici.

A depraved predator who broke into a nursing home and attempted to rape a 90-year-old woman in a terrifying attack will spend the rest of the decade behind bars.

Shane Huici, 26, appeared in Melbourne County Court on Thursday where he was jailed for nine years, with a non-parole period of six years, for the “heinous” crime.

While walking home from a 21st birthday party in Geelong’s CBD, Huici, then aged 23, broke into a St Albans Park nursing home about 4.30am.

His victim, a 90-year-old resident at the home, woke with Huici in her room, before Huici pinned her to the bed and attempted to kiss and orally rape her.

The woman managed to activate her duress alarm and Huici fled.

Shortly before he was set to face a trial on a charge of rape, Huici pleaded guilty to attempted rape, aggravated burglary, theft and recklessly causing injury.

In sentencing Huici, Judge Pardeep Tiwana described the crime as “a terrible and horrifying act of violent, sexual abuse” on an elderly and frail woman in her own bed.

The “appallingly reprehensible act of utmost gravity” was born out of sexual frustration, Judge Tiwana concluded.

The court heard Huici had never been able to maintain a relationship, with Judge Tiwana noting “the lack of any satisfying intimate connection” in his life contributed to the offence.

Judge Tiwana slammed Huici’s lack of remorse and agreed with the prosecution’s case Huici had shown “no real evidence of any contrition”.

“You have failed to acknowledge your offending in an open and candid manner,” Judge Tiwana told Huici.

The court heard court Huici had grown up in a loving family environment, but had long-term issues with anxiety and had begun drinking and using drugs at an early age.

He’d also developed a gambling addiction to “relieve boredom” and would sometimes gamble away his entire pay packet.

The scene of the attack at the St Albans Park aged care home. Picture: Mark Wilson.

At the time of the attack, he was drinking six drinks a weekday and “considerably more” on weekends, but had managed to hide all his addictions from his family, who were “oblivious” to his double life.

The crime took place “out of the blue, in circumstances your own family find hard to fathom”, the court heard.

Glowing character references provided by his family clearly did not paint a “complete picture” of who Huici is, Judge Tiwana said.

Judge Tiwana did not disagree with a psychological report that found Huici was an “immature” man for his age, with a “limited intellect” and “rudimentary level” of insight into his drug use and gambling addiction.

The offending “exemplifies each maladaptive component” of Huici’s personality, Judge Tiwana told the court.

Huici continues to maintain his innocence of the attempted rape, and denying any sexual motivation in the crime, telling a psychologist he “pleaded guilty on advice”, Judge Tiwana said.

“Despite expressing some remorse, you immediately qualified that by minimising your offending,” Judge Tiwana said, warning Huici that if he maintained his denial into the future it would hamper any offence-specific treatment he received.

“I hope you are able to comprehend the impact of your heinous offending,” Judge Tiwana said.

If not for the plea of guilty, Judge Tiwana told Huici he would have sentenced him to 11 years behind bars.

Huici must register as a sex offender for eight years. His 1004 days of pre-sentence detention was reckoned as time served.

Originally published as Shane Huici: Depraved addict jailed over ‘heinous’ St Albans Park nursing home sex attack