Trey Victor O’Riley claimed drugs caused his brain not to work in Hindley St attempted robbery

A woman followed, grabbed from behind, strangled, bashed and bitten on the nipple walking down Hindley St feared for her life during a 35 minute attack over a handbag.

A young man high on fantasy followed a woman down Hindley St, strangling her, biting her nipple and threatening to poke her eye out in a 35 minute rampage that left her fearing for her life.

It was only when Trey Victor O’Riley started vomiting on his victim’s head during the 2022 assault that a security guard approached and the attack ended.

O’Riley, who pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, “aggressively approached” the woman and told her to get off his street, has now been sentenced in the District Court.

When the victim walked away, he followed warning she better run or he would bash her before grabbing her from behind and demanding she hand over her bag because he was a police officer.

Trey Victor O’Riley assaulted his victim on Hindley St in the city in May, 2022. Picture: Morgan Sette

“You then put her in a head lock and punched her on her face, hands, elbows, knees, legs and neck,” District Court Judge Michael Durrant said of the May, 2022 attack during sentencing.

“You bit her left eyebrow, shoulders and legs, and said ‘I’m going to kill you. I’m going to poke your eye out so you can’t see and kill you’.

“You strangled your victim until she nearly lost consciousness. You then bit her on the right nipple and sucked her right breast.

“That all lasted about 35 minutes and ended only when you vomited on her head and clothes, and when a security guard approached.”

Judge Durrant said the “terrified” victim suffered nasal fractures, swelling around her face and eye and bruising to her forehead, skull, elbows and knees.

“During her harrowing experience, she thought that you were going to kill her,” he said.

“This was not a fleeting attempted robbery; it is a serious example of offending of this type.

“You detained your victim for 35 minutes and subjected her to significant violence, causing her significant injury.”

O’Riley’s attack was fuelled by fantasy but in sentencing Judge Durrant said he had a “genuine desire” to turn his life around.

“At your Aboriginal Sentencing Conference, you told me you had taken the wrong sort of drug which caused your brain not to work, and you told me that you have little memory of the night in question,” he said.

“I do accept the remorse you expressed is sincere and that you are ashamed, embarrassed about and sorry for your behaviour.”

O’Riley, who grew up in Remark with his “impoverished” childhood marred by a violent father, moved to Adelaide at 15.

Judge Durrant described the 24-year-old’s criminal history as lengthy for his age.

His prior offending included aggravated assault causing harm for throwing rocks at a security guard after being discharged from the Royal Adelaide Hospital in 2020.

Two years later, O’Riley assaulted a woman who was sitting in her parked car at Berri Hospital.

Judge Durrant said he had been afforded leniency in the past and had continued to offend but there was “room for some guarded optimism” for his rehabilitation.

O’Riley was sentenced to three years, four months and 24 days jail with a non-parole period of one year and 11 months, taking into account a 15 per cent discount for his early plea and a day spent in police custody.

The sentence was backdated to August 23, the day his Berri assault sentence finished.