Joshua McNulty jailed for punching and raping a woman he met at the Gully Hotel

A woman has been robbed of peace and joy in her life after she met a thug on a night out before she was violently bashed and raped by him.

A university student who punched a woman in the face and raped her robbed her of the peace and joy in her life, a court heard.

Joshua McNulty, 22, was jailed for over five years after he then made a shocking comment to the victim he degraded in her own home.

During sentencing on Thursday, the District Court heard McNulty met the victim on a night out in August 2022 at the Gully Hotel.

There was some consensual kissing before they caught an Uber back to the victim’s house after closing time.

The court heard the victim had no recollection of travelling back with McNulty but became aware of her surroundings at around 5.30am.

Joshua McNulty was jailed for rape. Picture: File

“Her next recollection was you on top of her … she told you to stop,” Judge Michael Durrant said.

“You said something like ‘shut up you little b**** or s***’.”

The court heard the victim attempted to push McNulty away with her arm but he punched her in the nose and raped her.

The court heard McNulty, who was 19 at the time of the offending, raped her again that morning.

The victim, who was left with bruising to her arms and nose after McNulty’s attack, reported it to police later that day.

McNulty, of Blakeview, was found guilty by a jury of assault and rape.

In her victim impact statement, the victim said she now found it difficult to lead a normal life and now feels mentally fragile.

“She has felt scared and vulnerable … she feels understandably degraded,” Judge Durrant said.

“She says you had robbed her of her peace and joy in her life.

The court heard McNulty was studying a degree of business management at the University of South Australia and achieving high distinctions for many subjects.

Judge Durrant said violated the sanctity of her home.

“Punching a naked woman in the face while she laid defenceless in bed with you on top of her is inherently violent, not to mention cowardly,” he said.

McNulty was sentenced to five years and four months jail, with a non-parole period of two years and four months.
The sentence was backdated to August 12.

Originally published as Joshua McNulty jailed for punching and raping a woman he met at the Gully Hotel