Duane Edward Nixon sentenced in Warwick District Court for bestiality, rape, torture and kidnapping

A man who committed depraved sexual offences a woman, including torture and bestiality, has been sentenced, with the victim’s family attempting to lash out at the rapist while in the court’s dock. WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

A Gatton man who tortured and sexually assaulted a woman during a horrifying hours-long kidnapping has been labelled by a judge as “inhuman” as he was sentenced for the abhorrent ordeal.

Duane Edward Nixon was soft-spoken as he pleaded guilty in Warwick District Court to a string of charges relating to a horrific ordeal that took place over the course of nine hours on February 25 - 26 in 2022.

In an updated indictment, Nixon pleaded guilty to one charge of kidnapping, sexual assault, stealing, extortion, bestiality as well as two charges of torture, and three charges of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed in company and rape.

The court was told on the night of February 25 Nixon went to the home of a 22-year-old Warwick woman, and at knifepoint threatened her to get into his car.

Counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Tegan Little, detailed how the 51-year-old threatened the woman by screaming, “get into the back of the car or I’ll bash your f – king head in”.

The court was told that over the following nine hours, Nixon subjected the woman horrifying physical abuse, including striking her legs with a metal object to prevent escape as well as “degrading and humiliating” acts.

The court was told that Nixon raped the woman before forcing the woman to endure vaginal rape by a dog, while it was being recorded and “threatened to release the video on the internet”.

Before dropping the victim off a short distance away, the court was told Nixon stole the woman’s mobile phone and two items of jewellery. The matter was reported to police and Nixon was arrested the following day.

Ms Little noted that as apparent from prior offending, Nixon displayed “an appalling attitude to women” and that he was a danger to the community.

“The offending was protracted and was significantly degrading and humiliating, the violence was not part of the sexual offending, in fact they were separate acts committed with separate purposes,” Ms Little said.

Defence lawyer Jessica Goldie told the court that the offending by Nixon was fuelled by his drug use, particular methamphetamine and his actions were committed “completely irrationally”.

Judge Dennis Lynch KC told the man during his sentencing that he was a very serious offender and he committed “unspeakable acts of cruelty”.

He noted that he “remained a danger to the community” and had “learnt nothing” over the past 20 years, the majority of which he had spent in custody.

“This was conduct engaged in your for own personal benefit at a time where you were affected by your use of methamphetamine. You treated the (victim) in an inhuman way – whatever you were thinking there can be no rational explanation for it,” Judge Lynch told Nixon.

“The ordeal you subjected her to was prolonged and designed to be humiliating and degrading. You remain a significant ongoing danger to the community.”

Judge Lynch noted that Nixon was a mentor to young Indigenous youth and had a good work ethic when he was out of jail.

Before sentencing, Judge Lynch read from the victim impact statement, telling the court that apart from the terror and physical pain Nixon made the woman suffer, there was significant impact on the woman’s psyche and was struggling due to Nixon’s actions, and that “no doubt these will be a great burden for her into the future”.

“Your sentence needs to denounce your conduct and record your appalling lack of humanity involved in your behaviour and primarily protect the community by preventing you from being in a position to subject anyone else to that for a significant time.”

After Nixon was sentenced, where he barely even moved his head during the near hour long ordeal, he was taken into custody by officers, members in the public gallery yelled out to Nixon, calling him a “dog,” “scum” and “maggot,” with one woman screaming to him “you’ve ruined my life”.

Nixon was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of eight years.