David Leslie Brian Harrison in court for rape, assault and forced tattoo

A teenage ‘nobody from Bundaberg’ who thought of himself as a gang leader bashed and raped a teenager aged under 16, and held a young homeless man down to forcefully tattoo his ‘gang’ name on his face.

David Leslie Brian Harrison pleaded guilty to multiple charges in the Bundaberg District Court.

A would-be gang leader has pleaded guilty to nine charges, including choking and raping a child under 16, and holding down a young homeless man and forcefully tattooing his face.

David Leslie Brian Harrison, 21, pleaded guilty to carnal knowledge of a child under 16, threatening violence , common assault, strangulation, rape, sexual assault, assault occasioning bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and committing a malicious act with intent.

The court heard Harrison was facing three separate indictments for his offending from in 2021 and 2022 with three complainants, one of which was known to him.

He appeared via videolink in the Bundaberg District Court in December, which heard the crimes were committed while he was on probation.

The court was told that when Harrison was 19, he twice punched the teenaged complainant and threatened her with a knife when she refused to have sex with him.

On a separate occasion, he pushed her onto a bed, pinned her with a hand on her chest and strangled her until she was able to escape.

The worst example of his offending occured when he pushed her on to a bed in an effort to have sex with her while she tried unsuccessfully to push him away, the court heard.

The incident was reported to police the following day.

Judge William Everson disagreed with the sentencing submission from the Crown. Pics Tara Croser.

Crown Prosecutor Erin Hanlon submitted Judge William Everson treat the rape charge as the head sentence for Harrison’s offending, proposing an eight-year jail term.

The victim, who was present in the court, walked out of the room when Judge Everson commented on the level of offending shown by Harrison during the rape.

“That rape count wasn’t a particularly serious rape, as in there were a number of features that were absent from it: ... there wasn’t violence on that occasion, there wasn’t a weapon used, there wasn’t harm to the victim,” he said.

“It was not an older person … the age difference between them was not what you would normally see.”

Mrs Hanlon opposed Judge Everson’s simplification of the offending.

“There are multiple occasions where the defendant has displayed physical aggression towards the [complainant], primarily in the context of her saying she didn’t want to have sex with him,” she said.

As part of his string of offending the court heard Harrison had fashioned himself as a gang member, taking in a young, vulnerable homeless man and forcing him to do his bidding on threat of violence.

David Leslie Brian Harrison, 21, pleaded guilty to carnal knowledge of a child under 16 (domestic violence offence), threatening violence (domestic violence offence), common assault (domestic violence offence), strangulation (domestic violence offence), rape (domestic violence offence), sexual assault, assault occasioning bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and committing a malicious act with intent.

The court heard Harrison directed the young man to steal for him, and assaulted him when he refused, including bashing him with a didgeridoo until it broke.

The pressure placed on the homeless man reached its peak when Harrison forced him to sit on a chair, and took a tattoo gun to his face, scrawling his gang’s name across his cheek and lips.

Barrister Phillip Hardcastle appeared for Harrison and told the court he had a disjointed upbringing.

In his sentencing remarks Judge Everson commented on the “sinister” and “disturbing” offending Harrison had committed.

“Essentially you seemed to think you’re some sort of gang leader and you decided this gang was something that you were in charge of and operated like an outlaw motorcycle gang,” he said.

“This really is delusional on your part as a 19-year-old nobody from Bundaberg.”

Harrison was given a head sentence for the rape charge of six and a half years in jail, with all the other charges carrying lesser concurrent jail sentences.

Six hundred and seventy six days of presentence custody was declared as time served, convictions were recorded and Harrison will be eligible for parole on April 28, 2024.