Identity of Gold Coast night stalker and rapist revealed as Jason Juan Burr

THE man known as the “night stalker” who broke into women’s homes on the Gold Coast and raped them during attacks over an eight-year period has finally been revealed.

The identity of the night stalker has been revealed

THE man known as the “night stalker” who broke into four women’s homes on the Gold Coast and raped them during attacks over an eight-year period has pleaded guilty.

For the first time, the identity of the sexual predator has been revealed as Jason Juan Burr, 51.

He was today sentenced to 20 years prison in a case Judge Julie Dick described as “every woman’s worst nightmare”.

He will be eligible for parole in January 2032.

Burr pleaded guilty in Southport District Court to 18 charges including ten counts of rape, two counts of assault to commit rape and indecent treatment of a child under 16.

He was responsible for a shocking series of attacks which started in October 2008 and ended in February 2016.

On October 20, 2008, Burr sexually assaulted a woman in her 50s after breaking into her Coombabah home.

Seven years later, on November 15, 2015, a woman in her 60s disturbed a man in the kitchen of her Springwood home just after midnight. The man restrained the woman and made threats to sexually assault her before fleeing.

On January 4, 2016 a woman in her 20s was sexually assaulted by Burr when she was woken in her Sunnybank home.

A month later on February 14, 2016, a woman in her 30s was sexually assaulted by Burr at 3am in her Edmund Rice Drive, Southport home.

Police investigating after a woman was allegedly assaulted on Edmund Rice Drive, Southport.

The Gold Coast man, who has been in custody since January last year, was found after DNA evidence linked him to the string of sexual assaults.

Crown prosecutor Clayton Wallis pushed for Burr to be given a life sentence for the offences.

He told the court Burr forced entry into the homes where the women were sleeping.

“Sometimes the door was left open and one time there was a cut in the fly screen” Mr Wallis said.

He said Burr was violent towards them.

The court heard two of the women raped were aged 64 and 57, while the other two women were “of child-bearing age” and were at risk of falling pregnant after the rapes.

In two instances, Burr came prepared with condoms and gloves, the court was told.

The court heard the 51-year-old man had very little criminal history and had “remained out of the clutches of the investigating authorities” for most of his life.

Prosecutor Clayton Wallis said this made the offending worse, as it showed a “level of sophistication” to have avoided authorities for years, only being caught after he was reported for indecently assaulting a young girl and his DNA matched that on file for the rape offences.

The court heard during the final rape, which occurred on the Gold Coast, the victim pretended to be asleep but Burr continued the terrifying attack on her.

Police investigating after a woman was allegedly assaulted on Edmund Rice Drive, Southport.

“He entered the house (and) affected his sordid acts on her while she pretended to be asleep,” Mr Wallis told the court.

“He must have known or at least believed she was asleep or unconscious.”

On two instances, he apologised to the women, the court heard.

Defence barrister Wayne Tolton told the court his client was the product of a rape himself and had never met his father.

Mr Tolton said Burr, who was born in Brisbane, claimed to have been molested during his time as a student at Clairvaux MacKillop College but said he was expelled when he reported the incident.

He also said Burr faced constant racial abuse throughout his childhood.

“He always felt on the outside and never felt part of the group,” Mr Tolton said.

In sentencing, Judge Dick said Burr had committed “grave” offences and had he not pleaded guilty today, she would have sentenced him to 22 years’ jail.

She did not accept the submission that Burr did not remember the rapes because of a concoction of ice and marijuana, and the court heard there was no indication he was suffering from any mental illness or was drug-affected at the time he attacked the women.

“These are a woman’s worst nightmare,” Judge Dick said.

“It has a profound affect on these women.”

When Burr entered the dock, he mouthed “I’m sorry” to the mother of the girl he assaulted.

He had already served more than 400 days on remand at the time of the sentence.