Steven Vincent Blunden sentenced to prison at Coffs Harbour court for raping woman

A man who forced himself on a North Coast woman undergoing chemotherapy continued to proclaim his innocence as he was led from court to prison.

Steven Vincent Blunden has been jailed for raping a woman on the North Coast.

A man found guilty of raping a North Coast cancer patient has been jailed for four years, but could be free by early 2025.

Steven Vincent Blunden, 51, sat silently through his 20-minute sentencing at Coffs Harbour District Court on Thursday.

In February, Blunden was convicted by a jury at trial of sexual intercourse without consent and attempted sexual intercourse without consent.

Judge Jennifer English said the charges stemmed from incidents overnight in mid-June 2021, after Blunden and the victim spent time at a North Coast club together.

Blunden drank alcohol at the club, but the victim, who was receiving treatment for cervical cancer, did not. The pair returned to her home, court documents state.

Blunden faced Coffs Harbour District Court for sentencing.

Judge English told the court Blunden grabbed the woman’s legs and penetrated her “even though “she told him to stop and she told him to leave”.

The woman was feeling “weak and exhausted” due to chemotherapy at the time.

Judge English said Blunden’s behaviour was “reprehensible”.

She said while his actions that night were “not particularly violent”, every person had an “absolute right” to withhold consent.

Judge English said Blunden came before the court with a lengthy criminal history, including offences of violence.

She told the court Blunden maintained his innocence regarding the sexual offending he was found guilty of.

Blunden was taken from the court to prison.

Blunden grew up in Kempsey and worked as a machine operator in Sydney before a workplace injury left him as a disability support pensioner.

Judge English said given Blunden’s protestations of innocence she could not find him “either remorseful or contrite”.

She told the court she took into account Blunden’s poor physical and mental health.

Judge English sentenced Blunden to a total jail term of four years, however, he will be eligible for parole on February 15, 2025 considering time already spent behind bars.