Territory footy champion Bruce Berry jailed for brazen rape in broad daylight

The court heard the married father of two did not stop even when approached by a good Samaritan who said ‘like f*** you were helping her, you were helping yourself’.

Justice Judith Kelly said Berry ‘left that poor woman in a humiliating position, naked from the waist down, in public’. Picture: Jason Walls

A champion football player and married father of two who “callously” raped an unconscious woman in broad daylight before being interrupted by good Samaritans has been jailed for six years.

Three time Wadeye Football League champion Bruce Berry pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to raping the woman, who he did not know, at the Moil oval in April last year.

The court heard the 29-year-old was drinking with a group of people at the Moil shops when they joined up with the victim’s group and she ended up so drunk she could not stand up.

Berry tried to kiss the woman as she lay on the ground but she pushed him away and they kept drinking until the rum ran out and he offered to take her to the oval where he had hidden more alcohol.

When they got there, the woman fell unconscious and Berry took off her pants and underwear and raped her where she lay.

Justice Judith Kelly said it was at this point that the first bystander noticed what was happening and called out to Berry but he did not stop and the witness called police while he continued to rape the woman.

Justice Kelly said another person also saw what was happening and yelled out from a car “What the f*** are you doing?” and Berry responded that he was “trying to help her” before “pretending” to put her clothes back on.

“While you were doing this, another witness started filming you,” she said.

“The first witness got out of her car and came up to you, she said, ‘Like f*** you were helping her, you were helping yourself’.”

“At this point, you ran away, while the other witness kept on filming you, then those two witnesses helped the victim, they gave her a cool drink, they held her head and they kept her conscious until the ambulance arrived.”

Justice Kelly said the woman was still unable to talk or stand and was “completely unaware of what had happened to her” but became “acutely distressed” after arriving at hospital.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she remained “upset and angry” about what had happened and now felt scared to return to Darwin.

In setting a non-parole period of four years and three months, Justice Kelly said the offending was “brazen and took place in public”.”

“You did not stop, even when there were witnesses who saw what you were doing and tried to intervene,” she said.

“You tried to cover up what you had done by pretending that you were helping the victim. You left that poor woman in a humiliating position, naked from the waist down, in public.”

Originally published as Territory footy champion Bruce Berry jailed for brazen rape in broad daylight