Foreign national sentenced for raping, stalking elderly woman in 2018

A foreign national who raped an elderly woman has been handed a significant sentence in an Australian county court.

A foreign national who raped an elderly woman who lived alone has been sentenced for what a judge has described as “truly reprehensible” crimes.

Guinean man Richard Bangoura was sentenced to 11 years and six months in prison in the County Court of Victoria on Wednesday, after he was found guilty by a jury in August last year of rape, stalking, aggravated burglary and other offences.

Judge George Georgiou said Bangoura, 40, had waited until the victim arrived at her unit in the early hours of the morning on November 2, 2018 when he suddenly approached her from behind and held a knife to her ribs as she was putting her keys into the front door.

Richard Bangoura has been sentenced to 11 years and six months’ jail for raping and stalking an elderly woman. Picture: David Crosling

Judge Georgiou said the victim was a 71-year-old woman who had been playing on the poker machines at a local hotel that night, where Bangoura had also been.

He said Bangoura told the victim not to scream or he would stab her, before he placed a knife on her throat and put his hands around her neck.

He directed the victim to take him into the bedroom, where he raped her twice and said he would come back and “cut her up” if she called the police.

The ordeal lasted about 25-35 minutes, Judge Georgiou said.

But the victim’s ordeal did not end there, with Bangoura returning on four separate occasions over the following month.

The victim had been playing on poker machines in the early hours of the morning of November 2, 2018 prior to her assault. Picture: Supplied

Judge Georgiou said the victim seeing him through the peephole of her unit “filled her with terror”.

“You intended to arouse fear and apprehension,” he said.

He said the offending was “calculated, predatory and brazen” and had been committed entirely for his own sexual gratification.

Judge Georgiou said Bangoura’s continued denial also showed an “absence of remorse” for his offending.

The court heard Bangoura was raised in “abject poverty” in the country of his birth, but was at one stage employed in the Guinean foreign service.

He also lived in France, where the court heard he has a daughter.

Judge Georgiou imposed a non-parole period of eight years and said it was likely Bangoura, who will also be registered as a sex offender, will be deported on his release from prison.

Originally published as Foreign national sentenced for raping, stalking elderly woman in 2018