Yarrun Morgan: Mildura man pleads guilty to rape, causing serious injury

A young woman will never look the same after she was brutally raped and shoved down a river bank by a Mildura man who stalked her home.

Yarrun Leigh Graham Taylor Morgan pleaded guilty to charges of rape and recklessly causing serious injury in the Mildura County Court. (Picture: Facebook)

A Mildura man attacked and raped a young woman before pushing her over a guard rail and down a steep embankment causing permanent injuries, a court has heard.

Yarrun Leigh Graham Taylor Morgan, 24, pleaded guilty to rape and causing serious injury recklessly in the Mildura County Court on Tuesday.

The court heard in June 2019 Morgan’s victim had been drinking in Mildura when she walked home and got lost.

At 2.40am she realised she was heading in the wrong direction as she crossed the George Chaffey Bridge, but when she turned around Morgan was standing about three feet behind her.

Morgan grabbed her in a bear hug and lifting her off the ground, holding her with his right arm, while raping her with the other.

He then let go and punched her in the eye.

The force of the blow caused her to fall backwards over the guard rail and down a river bank where she lost consciousness.

When she woke up the court heard she didn’t dare move in fear that Morgan was lurking in the shadows.

Her nose was bleeding and she couldn’t see out of her right eye.

She called her housemate for help before calling triple-0.

She remained on the phone with police for 19 minutes, speaking quietly, before her friends arrived and she left.

The victim was taken to hospital by ambulance, where she was treated for a fractured eye socket.

She required a bone graft from her hip to repair her eye socket and continues to suffer from vision problems as a result of the injury.

In her victim impact statement read to the court she said she continued to suffer from double vision and was worried her sight would continue to deteriorate.

She also suffered nerve damage in her face.

As a result of Morgan’s attack, she said she now felt an intense fear of going outside in the dark alone and had become withdrawn from her family.

She was diagnosed with depression and told the court she carried a constant worry the incident would define her.

Police were able to obtain CCTV footage showing Morgan following his victim after she left the bar and identified him.

Morgan was arrested on June 4, 2019 and the clothes he had been wearing when he attacked his victim were located.

Morgan was already serving a community corrections order when he attacked his victim.

The court heard Morgan had a severely disadvantaged background and Judge Michael Bourke described his childhood as “markedly damaging”.

A psychological report submitted to the court noted Morgan had a ‘limited’ intellect.

Judge Bourke adjourned the case for sentencing and had Morgan remanded until then.

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