Shane James Kavanagh sentenced after violently raping his Tinder date
A woman was left battered and bruised after being violently raped by a man she’d met on Tinder. The tradie ignored his victim’s plea to stop, tore her singlet off and sexually assaulted her.
Police & Courts
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A Melbourne tradie has been caged for seven years over the brutal rape of his Tinder date.
Shane James Kavanagh, 31, told the woman he was “horny” and forced himself on her after she rejected his sexual advances.
The rape happened less than a month after the pair had met on the dating app in April 2018.
Photographic evidence showed “considerable” bruising to the woman’s body, eye and ear after he belted her during the sexual assault at her home.
The qualified plumber ripped her singlet off with such force it also left a cut under her arm.
County Court Judge Liz Gaynor said Kavanagh persisted in his “violent sexual assault” despite his victim begging “please stop”.
“She began having a panic attack. She told you to get off,” Judge Gaynor said.
“You continually hit her in the face.”
Judge Gaynor told Kavanagh the charge of rape is “an extremely serious one”.
“It’s a degrading offence,” she said. “It involves oppression and suppression on your victim.
“The fact it was accompanied by violence makes the scenario an even more horrendous one.
“Your offending has had a serious deleterious affect upon (your victim).”
His victim told the court how she now suffers flashbacks and nightmares of the attack, has lost her independence, finds it hard to trust others and is scared when home by herself.
“The assault has stolen my freedom and experience of being involved in a life that I would choose or want,” she said.
Kavanagh denied the allegations and faced trial, with the jury finding him guilty of one count of rape and intentionally cause injury.
Despite the prosecution pushing for the standard 10-year sentence guideline for serious rapes to apply, Judge Gaynor said Kavanagh’s otherwise clean criminal record and good prospects of rehabilitation meant a lesser sentence was appropriate.
“It is my view that the mitigatory factors in your case are such that I should not find that your offending falls into the mid-range of seriousness,” she said.
She sentenced him to seven years jail, but set a non-parole period of five years, three months.
The court heard Kavanagh’s life had spiralled into depression due to drug addiction, which resulted in losing his job, and his ex-partner, who he has a son with.
Judge Gaynor said he had used ice on the night of the rape, which goes somewhat into explaining his violent behaviour, but does not excuse it.
She said providing he stayed away from drugs on his release, he was “unlikely to present any danger to the community”.
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