Capalaba man assaults woman in ‘particularly sadistic act’ over days, threatening to rape her children

A Capalaba man who has appeared in court 32 times for violent crimes has been charged over an horrific three-day assault on a woman during which he threatened to gut her friend and rape and kill her children.

A magistrate has conceded she understands why people want some men to be branded on the forehead as a warning to women during an extraordinary sentence of a “sadistic” and “violent thug” who repeatedly assaulted a woman over three days while threatening to gut her friend and rape and kill her children.

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Appearing via video link at the Cleveland Magistrates Court on Thursday Daniel Roger Kappu, 39, pleaded guilty to assaults occasioning bodily harm.

The court heard Capalaba man Kappu had instigated an argument which soon devolved into a physical assault with a woman during a drive from Biloela to Capalaba with the assaults persisting from May 29 – June 1 and included the defendant forcing his victim to stay awake by throwing water on her whenever she succumbed to sleep.

In what police prosecutor Sergeant Angela Tetley called a “significant, serious and prolonged attack on a member of the community”, Kappu struck his victim on the ear, lips and cheeks while she drove him back from Biloela after fetching him from Capalaba on May 29.

The court heard the assaults were constant over “at least two full days” at the Greenacres Capalaba Caravan Park in Capalaba with Kappu threatening to kill and gut his victim’s friend.

The court heard Kappu also told his victim he would to go to jail for killing and raping her children.

Sgt Tetley said the defendant had become enraged when his victim, whom he had met in February and shared living expenses with, had removed $1,100 from his bank account to purchase methamphetamine.

Kappu’s victim finally fled the caravan they were staying in but not before being kicked in the back and on the leg.

The court heard Kappu had assaulted the woman while on probation and on a suspended sentence for a similar offending.

Sgt Tetley further clarified that Kappu was currently in jail after being sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for striking another woman on her hand with her own walking stick during a separate incident on June 7.

At that incident, the court heard, the defendant had also punched the woman on her jaw and threatened “to shiv her all over, I don’t care” while holding a fishing knife some 30cm away from her face.

The court heard Kappu’s victim on June 7 had to be hospitalised and had to drive for 200 metres on a footpath during her escape after being boxed in by the defendant.

The court was told it was Kappu’s 32nd appearance in front of a court for violent offending, which included eight sentences for grievous bodily harm; 10 common assaults, two robberies and “a couple of” woundings and threatening violence.

Magistrate Deborah Vasta said Kappu’s shocking criminal history spoke of someone who enjoyed inflicting pain and who had deep-seated issues with women.

“For 19 years you have been a violent thug who has treated women worse than one would a dog,” magistrate Vasta said.

“I would hate to seen how many of his victims were women and how many more there will be over the next 20 years.”

The court heard the justice system had, over the course of 19 years, “tried everything” to rehabilitate Kappu with little success, leaving an exasperated Magistrate Vasta questioning whether rehabilitation was possible at all.

The magistrate said Kappu’s offending between May 29 – June 1 was a “particularly sadistic act” during which he treated his victim like a piece of meat and punching bag.

“It is a shame you weren’t born elsewhere so we could deport you,” magistrate Vasta said.

Kappu’s defence solicitor Bruce Johnston admitted his client was “not exactly a pillar of the community”, had one son with whom he had limited contact and had been “trying to turn a new leaf” while working as a maintenance person at caravan parks but had succumbed to the temptations of drug use which included methamphetamine abuse.

Mr Johnson said the relationship with his victim at the Capalaba caravan park had since ended.

Kappu was sentenced to 3.5 years’ imprisonment with a possible September 10, 2021 parole date.

A conviction was recorded and a five-year protection order granted for his victim.