‘Depraved’ rapist jailed for eight years over ‘sick’ forced sex acts

A DARWIN man who forced a woman to perform a series of ‘sick’ and ‘depraved’ sex acts on him after offering to pay her $25 for oral sex has been jailed for eight years

Jeffrey Smith was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury of rape and gross indecency without consent

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A DARWIN man who forced a woman to perform a series of “sick” and “depraved” sex acts on him after offering to pay her $25 for oral sex has been jailed for eight years.

Jeffrey Smith, 60, was found guilty by a Supreme Court jury of multiple counts of rape and gross indecency without consent after assaulting the woman in his flat in August last year.

In sentencing, Justice Jenny Blokland said while the woman had agreed to the initial oral sex, Smith then used threats to intimidate her into performing the “degrading” acts and punched her in the head at least six times during the ordeal.

“Her evidence was she was freaking out but he said ‘If you don’t do as you’re told I’m going to have to tie you up and keep you all night’," she said.

“The complainant was clearly disgusted by being coerced into this activity.”

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Smith had claimed the sex was all consensual and told police a window broken when the woman kicked out during the assault was a result of an accident after she anally penetrated him with a large cucumber.

But Justice Blokland rejected that explanation as lacking credibility.

“Jeffrey Smith must have known when he spoke to police that a smashed bedroom window was known to police, he would have known it was likely he would need an explanation for that, he therefore came up with that particularly bizarre explanation,” she said.

In setting a non-parole period of six years and five months, Justice Blokland said Smith’s actions were “particularly depraved (acts) perpetrated on a vulnerable woman”, describing one of the rapes as “particularly brutal”.

“Sexual offending against women is prevalent in the Northern Territory, it involves men like Jeffrey Smith who think they can do what they like to women,” she said.

“It strikes at the very heart of personal physical integrity and the autonomy of women.”

Justice Blokland said in a victim impact statement submitted to the court, the woman said the “horrible and sick” attack had “made her feel ashamed”.

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“The whole episode was an example of highly degrading treatment perpetrated on the complainant by Jeffrey Smith,” she said.

“It would have been most degrading, indeed frightening to the victim and harm was caused.”

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