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ABC News
ABC News
Business
court reporter Claire Campbell

Adelaide restaurateur Miguel Dantas De Sa jailed for nine years for raping prospective employee

Miguel Dantas De Sa will not be eligible for parole until 2026. (Facebook)

An Adelaide restaurant manager has been jailed for nine years for raping a prospective employee he was training as well as sexually abusing an underage worker.

Miguel Dantas De Sa, 32, was found guilty by a jury earlier this year of two counts of rape involving a female worker he was training.

In January, 2020, De Sa interviewed the victim for a job at the restaurant he was working at and later invited her in for a trial shift.

He then messaged her on Facebook to come in for more training, which involved pouring beers and mixing various drinks.

"You asked the victim to try some of those drinks," Judge Anthony Allen said during sentencing.

"You then invited the victim to join you in visiting some other bars in the East End of Adelaide's CBD.

"The victim began to feel extremely intoxicated. The victim does not remember leaving the Stag Hotel.

"She then recalled being inside a house she didn't know in a bedroom she didn't recognise. Her next memory is of her vomiting in that bedroom and you bringing her a bucket."

Judge Anthony Allen said De Sa knew the victim was intoxicated and could not consent.

De Sa also abused second victim

At the time of that offending, De Sa was on bail for indecently assaulting another young female employee.

"An assessment of your prospects of rehabilitation must remain guarded," the judge said.

"The victim's condition at the time was such that she couldn't consent [and] as much would have been plainly obvious to you. The fact that you had to carry your barely conscious victim to an Uber within a very short period of time after the acts of intercourse is … evidence of this."

The judge said De Sa's crime had a "pervasive effect" on the victim who now felt "permanently damaged".

De Sa was sentenced to six years and six months for the acts of rape.

The judge said De Sa would serve that sentence cumulatively with his crimes of sexually abusing another female employee, jailing him for nine years in total.

De Sa will be eligible for parole in 2026.

The restaurant De Sa was working at has been contacted for comment.

In July 2020, he was sentenced for abusing a 16-year-old girl in 2016.

At the time, the court heard De Sa asked the girl to go with him to a coolroom and asked her to have sex with him for $200.

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