Christopher Daniel Rose’s abduction and assault appeal fails

A former Central Queensland rugby player has lost his appeal against a six-year prison sentence for beating his partner unconscious and driving her to secluded bush while she was trapped in the boot.

Disgraced ex-rugby player Christopher Rose walks away from court in defeat as judges uphold sentence for a horrific attack and chilling abduction plot.

A former Central Queensland rugby player has lost his appeal against a six-year prison sentence for beating his partner unconscious and driving her to a secluded bush location while she was trapped in the boot.

Christopher Daniel Rose’s appeal was dismissed in Supreme Court by Chief Justice Helen Bowskill, Justice Peter Flanagan, and Justice Elizabeth Wilson at the Brisbane courthouse on September 7, 2024.

Rose had pleaded guilty to charges of assault occasioning bodily harm, deprivation of liberty, and unlawful use of a motor vehicle after a brutal incident that left the victim unconscious and terrified for her life.

In September 2022, the victim went to Rose’s Rubyanna home to end their relationship due to threats he had made against her family.

According to the latest court appeal documents, an argument ensued, during which Rose attacked the victim while she was sitting in the driver’s seat of her car.

Rose repeatedly punched her in the face and then kneed her, knocking her unconscious.

The victim regained consciousness in the boot of her car, which was speeding at 170 km/h with Rose driving.

She found herself without a shirt, surrounded by duct tape and a shovel. Rose told her, “You’ve been asleep for a long time sleeping beauty, we’re going to go out and dig a little hole”.

Judges reject Rose’s appeal, keeping the former rugby star behind bars for his shocking assault and twisted scheme to abduct his ex-partner.

During the ordeal, Rose drove to secluded bush where he started digging, claiming to be searching for a gun.

When he failed to find the weapon, he returned to the car but became bogged.

Rose spent 90 minutes digging the vehicle out before driving back to Bundaberg and releasing the victim.

In the days following the incident, Rose texted the victim saying, “Are you f —king serious, you deserve everything you got”.

The victim eventually sought medical attention and reported the assault to police a week later.

Rose was arrested after ramming a police car following a search of his property.

In Bundaberg District Court, in January 2023, Rose was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for assault occasioning bodily harm, three years for deprivation of liberty, and six years for the unlawful use of a motor vehicle, with all sentences to be served concurrently.

At the original sentencing Judge Leanne Clare SC condemned Rose’s actions, emphasising the premeditated nature of his offending, noting he drove for an extended period of time with the victim trapped in the boot which took his offending beyond impulsive assaults.

You’ve been asleep for a long time, sleeping beauty’ — words from Christopher Rose during his chilling abduction of his ex-partner.

She highlighted the “shockingness,” “horror,” and “traumatic impact” of the incident, noting that Rose’s actions exceeded impulsive assaults and involved deliberate psychological terror.

Rose’s sentence was appealed on two grounds, one of which was that the sentence was manifestly excessive.

Rose’s counsel argued that the sentencing judge wrongly found he intended to cause severe psychological harm, a state of mind not agreed upon in the statement of facts.

The appeal court upheld the original sentence, finding that the sentencing judge had appropriately assessed the totality of Rose’s conduct and his criminal history.