Man who kidnapped, raped and tortured woman no longer ‘monster’, his lawyer says

HE kidnapped, raped and tortured a woman who was nothing but kind to him, keeping her hostage tied to a motel wardrobe. But his lawyer says Darin Wheeldon is no monster.

A DEPRAVED man who kidnapped, raped and tortured a woman and kept her hostage tied a motel wardrobe is no longer a ‘monster’, his lawyer says.

Darin Wheeldon, 42, mutilated his victim, whipped her, photographed her nude and threatened to kill her family during the horrific three days he held her hostage in 2011.

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Darin Wheeldon, 42, mutilated his victim, whipped her, photographed her nude and threatened to kill her family. Picture: Stock image.

The deeply religious woman had met him at a soup kitchen where she volunteered and offered him a place to stay our of kindness.

But the County Court heard Wheeldon had believed he was in a “growing relationship” with the woman and felt rejected when his affections weren’t reciprocated.

Wheeldon abducted her, whipped her and raped her before bundling her in a car and setting off for rural NSW.

He checked into a motel room where he left the woman tied up in a wardrobe before driving away.

She managed to loosen the duct tape and escape, calling for help from motel staff.

Wheeldon crashed on a highway about 200km away from the motel and was arrested.

The woman, a mother, was paralysed with fear and repeatedly forced to perform sex acts throughout the ordeal.

“I felt defiled, violated and helpless,” she said in her victim impact statement during Wheeldon’s earlier pre-sentence hearing.

She now suffers post-traumatic stress, anxiety attacks, nightmares, paranoia, adrenal fatigue and other difficulties.

But she said her spirit remains unbroken.

“I will never forget the pain and hurt you caused me,” she said.

“But I forgive you for my own sake, so I can move on.

“I pray I will never see you again, and I will build my life back to what it was.”

Wheeldon has pleaded guilty to four counts of rape and one charge each of false imprisonment, intentionally causing injury and theft.

Defence barrister Aaron Shwartz argued Wheeldon’s borderline personality disorder should be taken into account when sentencing and added the man was in a state of “disrepair” during the attack.

“He is attempting to find a new life. He is not the person he was seven years ago,” Mr Shwartz argued, adding Wheeldon was no longer the “monster” the court had previously heard described.

Wheeldon will be sentenced on August 9.