Ski instructor Matthew Williams jailed over violent rape, assault at Snowy Mountains

A UK ski instructor will remain behind bars for at least seven years after carrying out a “horrifying” sex attack on a young woman at the NSW Snowy Mountains

UK ski instructor Matthew Williams was handed a 10 year prison sentence over a vicous sex assault on a young woman at the NSW Snowy Mountains. Picture: Facebook

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A British ski instructor has been sentenced to 10 years in prison over a violent roadside sex attack on a young woman after bashing her male friend unconscious at the NSW Snowy Mountains.

Matthew James Williams, who was a ski instructor at Perisher, on Friday faced Queanbeyan District Court where Judge Nicole Noman SC described the vicious attack as “exceptionally cowardly” and “horrifying”.

Judge Noman sentenced the 29-year-old to 10 years imprisonment with a non-parole period of seven years.

In a harrowing victim impact statement written by the woman and read out in court, she recalled starting the evening as “an innocent, kind, bubbly woman experiencing Jindabyne for the first time with her loved ones” and left a “brutally bashed, traumatised rape victim”.

Matthew Williams was arrested five days after the attack. Picture: NSW Police

“That pain will stick with me forever,” the statement said.

“I’ll never understand or get an explanation on why you felt it was okay and in your right to inflict such malice and calculating trauma onto someone who would have given you the jumper off her back in the freezing cold but instead had it ripped from her naked body and left for dead.

“Real life monsters don’t show remorse or provide explanations, they serve time.”

Despite valiant attempts by her friend to prevent the attack, the court heard she was knocked unconscious twice as Williams punched her repeatedly in the face before pinning her down and sexually assaulting her.

The court was shown CCTV footage of an intoxicated Williams following the 22-year-old and her 25-year-old friend as they walked along the main road in Jindabyne after leaving Banjo Paterson Inn just after 1am during last year’s ski season on July 5.

Judge Nicole Noman SC described the attack as “horrifying” and “cowardly”.

Williams’ lawyer John Purnell SC told the court his client had suffered “memory black holes” on the night after consuming alcohol and drugs including marijuana and a mysterious “blue pill” which was the “cause of his uncharacteristic and tragic behavior.”

“From the footage if you were to deduce anything it was clearly not a planned attack, it was clearly a spontaneous attack,” Mr Purnell said.

“The (attack was) both bizarre and totally out of character and this decision has lasting consequences for him for the rest of his life and for victims for rest of their lives.”

He described his client as someone of a previously “unblemished” character who excelled at school and at his job as a ski instructor.

He has written a letter of apology to the victims who will be given the opportunity to read it if they wish.

Williams punched the man in the face and then kicked him after he fell to the ground, knocking him unconscious, before turning on the woman, the court heard.

He then laughed in the woman’s face when she offered him money before punching her several times, knocking her out as well.

Matthew Williams was a ski instructor at Perisher when he carried out the attack. Picture: Facebook

When she came to, Williams was straddling her, sitting on her waist and pinning her arms to the ground as she struggled to get free.

Williams then removed her shirt and bra before biting and licking her breast and was forcibly removing her pants when the male victim regained consciousness.

He later recalled seeing Williams with his pants down moving up and down on top of the woman and trying to kiss her.

When the man got up to try and help her, Williams punched him to the ground for a second time and again began kicking him.

Williams returned to the woman and sexually assaulted her by inserting his fingers into her vagina while his penis was exposed, punching her several more times as she struggled to escape him.

Lying on the ground conscious, the male victim saw the headlights of a car on Kocsiuszko Road and managed to get up.

He ran into the road to try and flag down the car, causing Williams to flee the scene.

Matthew Williams will serve at least seven years in jail before being deported back to the UK.

The woman was treated for serious bruising to her face, head, arms and legs, abrasions and sexual assault injuries.

The male victim suffered a broken nose, broken eye socket and severe bruising.

Judge Noman described Williams’ behaviour as “abhorrent” and “exceptionally cowardly” as he was stronger than the woman who “was not in a position to defend herself”.

“The various incidents to have occurred to both victims must have been horrifying in both their intensity and severity,” Judge Noman said.

“I do not accept that he was devoid of the memory of the offending.”

She said the “charitable interpretation” of the “mental black holes” Williams supposedly suffered was that he did recall the attack but “because he finds it so contronting he chooses not to remember it”.

“The offender’s prospects of rehabilitation and reoffending are difficult to guage because his conduct on the night is difficult to comprehend.

“The offender is a person of prior good character who has the support of family and friends.”

Williams was identified as the attacker from the CCTV, his smart watch which had fallen off during the attack and DNA testing.

One of Williams’ co-workers at Blue Cow Perisher told police she had noticed he looked upset the day after the attack and when she asked what was wrong, he replied, “I had a rough, rough night last night.”

Another co-worker noticed his left hand was injured and he had trouble putting on his ski gloves.

Williams later put in a report to his employer claiming it was a skiing injury and tried to claim his watch was stolen during a robbery.

He will be deported back to the UK upon release.