Cameron Russell Hand been sentenced for terrifying rape in Adelaide CBD carpark

A man who raped a stranger in an Adelaide CBD carpark in the early hours of the morning has been jailed for his “nightmare” crime.

A man who raped a woman in an Adelaide CBD carpark has been told by a judge his offending is best described as the “stuff of nightmares”.

Cameron Russell Hand, 52, of Morphett Vale, appeared at the District Court on Monday to be sentenced for the rape of a woman in an Adelaide carpark last year.

Judge Rauf Soulio said the offending was best described as the “stuff of nightmares” and has had an everlasting impact on the victim.

“Your attack (on the victim), a stranger to you in a situation of vulnerability, alone at night in a carpark, is literally the stuff of nightmares,” he said.

“Such offending cannot be tolerated. As I have said the impact on (the victim) may be lifelong.”

The court heard the offending occurred in the early hours of October 1, 2022, after he pushed the victim to the ground, dragged her by the hair and pinned her to the ground of a CBD car park.

“She was trying to push you away, screaming for help,” Judge Soulio said.

“You said things to her such as ‘you like that don’t you?’ and ‘you’re coming with me’.

“She continued to scream for help and you told her to ‘shut the f*** up’, you pushed her head harder on to the ground and continued your attack upon her.”

Hand attacked the woman in a CBD carpark. Picture: Tinnakorn Jorruang/iStock

Hand’s arrest on October 9, 2022, was a result of DNA evidence found on his baseball cap, which the victim was able to remove during the attack.

The handlebar of Hand’s bicycle, which he was riding before and after the attack, was also forensically analysed.

Judge Soulio said the victim had become “somewhat socially isolated” and the offending has caused “ongoing impact upon her life”.

“It is apparent that what appears to have been a brief opportunistic offence, a violent sexual offence, has had ongoing impact upon her,” he said.

“As she poignantly stated: ‘your five minutes of fun is going to be with me for my entire life’.”

Judge Soulio said he took Hand’s lengthy criminal history and history with drugs, including methamphetamine and alcohol, while sentencing him.

“You told (the psychologist) what you had done was a stupid drunken thing … being unable to recall the precise incident,” he said.

“(The psychologist) formed the view that your offence was an opportunistic one resulting from a combination of sexual arousal and violence.”

Hand was sentenced to six years imprisonment with a non-parole period of four years.

The sentence was backdated to October 9, 2022.