Nathan Lee Witika sentenced to prison for rape, assault of woman
A Gold Coast concreter raped a woman hours after selling her the drugs ice and fantasy. He then hit her in the face with a guitar when she tried to escape. THE DETAILS >>>
Police & Courts
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A GOLD Coast concreter raped a woman hours after selling her the drugs ice and fantasy.
Nathan Lee Witika then hit the woman in the face with a guitar as she tried to escape him.
The 41-year-old pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court on Thursday to rape, assault occasioning bodily harm and two counts of supplying dangerous drugs.
Judge David Kent sentenced him to five years’ prison to be suspended after he served 14 months.
Witika has been in custody since October last year but only 62 of those days were declared against the sentence on Thursday.
A Gold Coast concreter raped a woman hours after selling her the drugs ice and fantasy. Picture: file photo
He is also serving time for drugs-related charges.
“The impact on the victim has been substantial and ongoing and she has had significant medical problems connected with these events,” he said.
Crown prosecutor Stephanie Gallagher said that on October 21 last year Witika went to the Gold Coast home of a woman known to him and gave her with the drugs ice and fantasy.
They later had consensual sex. The pair were not in a relationship.
“She felt she was being hurt and he had an arm around her neck and was pulling her hair,” Ms Gallagher said.
“She told him to stop.”
Ms Gallagher said the woman was able to get away from him briefly.
That is when the rape occurred.
Ms Gallagher said the woman managed to escape Witika, left the room, vomited and was crying.
Witika then put his hands around the woman’s neck before using a guitar to hit her in the head.
“One can’t ignore the sentence basis in this case – it is different to a rape where consent was clearly known to have not been given,” Ms Gallagher said.
The court was told the woman’s teenage daughters were home at the time.
Defence barrister Kim Bryson said Witika was born in New Zealand and would be deported when released from prison.
She said he had a problem with drugs since his parents died in 2011.
Witika plans to settle in Auckland when released from custody.
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