Jinan Disho jailed over rapes, assaults of woman in Geelong

A violent rapist who threatened a woman with a knife has been jailed for almost a decade, as a judge described his actions as “reprehensible”.

Jinan Disho outside Geelong court last year. Picture: Mark Wilson

A rapist who held a knife to a woman’s throat and threatened to “slaughter” her, has been described by a judge as callous, cruel and reprehensible.

Jinan Disho, 42, appeared in the County Court on Tuesday and was jailed for a maximum of nine years and three months by Judge George Georgiou.

Disho was found guilty in May last year by a jury of three counts of rape, three counts of assault and a single count of making a threat to kill.

The charges stemmed from 2018, when Disho assaulted and raped a woman anally, orally and vaginally.

Disho also held a kitchen knife to the woman’s throat and threatened to “slaughter her”.

Judge Georgiou told the court Disho’s actions had left his victim “in a state of constant fear”.

“She states she was scared to leave the house, to talk to others, to sleep and to feel happy,” Judge Georgiou said.

The victim had difficulty sleeping and felt shame and embarrassment, as well as “intense anguish” and panic, stemming from the incident.

Disho’s offending was aggravated by the violence he showed, his lack of a condom and the “humiliation, degradation and disrespect” he showed the victim.

Judge Georgiou said there was a significant power imbalance between Disho and the victim, which Disho “callously exploited for (his) own sexual gratification”.

Judge Georgiou told the court all acts of non-consensual penetration are objectively serious, no matter the circumstances, and said Disho’s “reprehensible conduct” must be denounced, as it was “callous, cruel and highly degrading”.

Judge Georgiou told the court Disho had been born into a large Assyrian Christian family in northern Iraq and was one of five brothers and six sisters.

Disho fled the country as the region came under attack by Islamic State in 2014, before eventually settling in Australia in 2018, shortly before the offending.

A psychologist identified a number of mental health issues affecting Disho, including PTSD.

The court heard Disho would “frequently hear bombs and people screaming” during the war, and subsequently suffered symptoms such as nightmares and flashbacks.

The court heard Disho had no prior criminal history and had not offended in the six years since the incidents took place.

The delay between the offences and his sentencing was a matter in his favour, Judge Georgiou said, as he had lived in a “state of suspense” as to what might happen to him.

Judge Georgiou also accepted that Disho would suffer the added stress and anxiety about his future, given he could face deportation following the sentence.

However, Disho was also “without any remorse” and lacked insight into the wrongfulness of his conduct and the harm he caused, the court heard.

Disho will be eligible for parole after six years and two months.

He had 271 days already spent behind bars reckoned as time served.

Originally published as Jinan Disho jailed over rapes, assaults of woman in Geelong