Two women have told how being raped at separate horse-riding events in South Australia turned their worlds upside down, destroying their trust in men and leaving them with lasting trauma.
Joshua James David Slape, 23, from Glenburnie near Mt Gambier, was found guilty of rape, attempted rape and indecent assault over the incidents in 2017 and 2018.
The women had been sleeping in swags at equestrian meets when they were assaulted.
"What the defendant did to both women who he knew as friends … was the ultimate betrayal of that friendship," prosecutor Emily Harper told the District Court.
"He sexually offended against them when they were in situations of vulnerability, in that they'd both been consuming alcohol in the hours before the attack, and they'd both gone to sleep in their swags in locations that were somewhat isolated from other people.
Women describe impact of offending
One of the victims said she had struggled with anxiety, depression and feelings of self-harm.
"I keep all the blinds and doors shut in the house, never opening them, because I'm too scared," she told the court.
"I'm not able to be close to any males – if they try to touch me, I freak out.
"All in all, my life is very different now, and I'm a different person.
The other victim said she'd also faced depression, anxiety, anger and self-doubt after being raped.
"I binge watch TV shows over and over again to escape my thoughts and reality," the woman told the court in her submission.
"Some days I feel absolutely nothing, other days I feel every emotion possible."
"I know I'm healing slowly from my trauma, and I've come a long way, but I still know I have a long way to be able to trust people again, to be able to accept love and intimacy as a normal part of my life again, to understand my worth again, and to feel like me again, and to have control of my feelings and emotions once more."
Ms Harper urged the judge to set a lengthy prison sentence for Slape early in March.
His lawyer Edward Solly made no submissions on his client's behalf.
