David James Rankin in court for sexual assault
An indigenous ranger who sexually assaulted a woman as she slept copped ‘one hell of a flogging’ when she raised the alarm.
Police & Courts
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Sexually assaulting a teenage girl who was asleep in bed after a funeral ended badly for a man when he was attacked by other people in the house and left with a broken jaw.
David James Rankin, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault when he faced Maryborough District Court on Tuesday.
The court heard the incident happened after a funeral in the North Burnett.
It heard Rankin and the young woman were known to each other and had been drinking on the day.
Later they were both at the same home, along with about 20 others, when the woman went to bed.
The woman woke to find Rankin on top of her, grabbing her breasts. She fled the room and alerted others in the home to what had happened.
Rankin was then assaulted and left with a broken jaw which later had to have a plate and screws inserted.
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The court heard Rankin had an 11-page criminal history and had appeared in court on 20 previous occasions.
He had been on parole at the time of committing the offence, but was not charged by police until three months later when his parole ended.
The court heard Rankin had struggled with mental health issues, including schizophrenia and anxiety.
He was single and had no children, but was close to his mother, who supported him in court.
Rankin had been employed as an indigenous ranger and had previously worked on the land, the court heard.
The injury to his jaw caused him ongoing issues, and had resulted in a permanent disfigurement, with Judge Ian Dearden telling him he had got “one hell of a flogging”.
Rankin was sentenced to 15 months in prison, wholly suspended for 18 months.
The 185 days he spent in pre-sentence custody was taken into account.
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Originally published as David James Rankin in court for sexual assault
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