‘Attention seeking’: Rapist jailed after horrific casino attack

A court has heard how a 22-year-old Byron Bay man believed his victim was “attention seeking” after reporting him for violently attacking her at Sydney’s Star casino.

A man who raped a woman known to him at The Star casino while telling her she was “getting what she deserved” has been jailed for a decade.

Joel Nathan Fitzpatrick Burtt was found guilty by a jury in August after the court heard how the Byron Bay resident punched the victim four times in the head, threw an ice bucket at her and choked her inside a hotel room at The Star in Sydney.

Joel Nathan Fitzpatrick Burtt was handed a head sentence of ten years. Picture: News Corp Australia

He will be eligible for parole in June 2029. Picture: News Corp Australia

On Friday, NSW District Court Chief Judge Sarah Huggett sentenced Burtt to ten years in prison with a non-parole period of five years and six months after being found guilty on four counts of sexual intercourse without consent, aggravated sexual assault inflicting actual bodily harm and choking.

The sentence will be backdated to December 30 2023 when he was first taken into custody.

In handing down her decision, Judge Huggett said she was not satisfied Burtt had demonstrated genuine remorse for his crime, as he believed the jury’s guilty verdict was the result of “increased discussions concerning violence against women”.

The attack occurred on the 11th floor of the Star’s Grand Hotel. Picture: AFP

“He continues to discredit the victim, describing her as attention-seeking,” she said.

The court heard how Burtt and the victim had been on a harbour cruise for a mutual friend’s birthday before the October 2022 attack.

After the cruise, the victim needed to pick up her belongings from a friend’s hotel room at The Star.

She arrived at the hotel room with Burtt who then pinned her to the ground and asked her to have sex with him.

When she said no, Burtt violently attacked her and raped her, telling her she was “getting what she deserved”.

The woman was treated by a medic at the hotel after the attack. Picture: News Corp Australia

At one point Burtt grabbed her by the hair and dragged her across the floor.

She managed to escape after calling Burtt’s sister and asking her to come to the hotel room, telling her: “Joel is hurting me”.

The victim spoke to a hotel security officer and was seen by the hotel medic before speaking to the police.

She was transported to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where she was treated for multiple injuries from the attack.

Judge Huggett said Burtt knew the victim was “not freely and voluntarily consenting”.

“The circumstances in which each offence was committed would have been extremely frightening, particularly when the offender told the victim she was getting what she deserved,” Judge Huggett said.

CCTV vision from the casino was provided to police. Picture: Bloomberg

The court heard that before his arrest, Burtt was working as a second-year apprentice as a carpenter.

The court also heard how Burtt was on protection in prison after being assaulted by inmates, who had found out the nature of his offending.

He will be first eligible for parole on June 29, 2029.

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