A 20-year-old north Queensland man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison over two attacks in Townsville that left physical and emotional scars on his victims.
The Cairns District Court today heard Tyrese Leonard George Wallace physically assaulted a 51-year-old sex worker in the early hours of the morning of September 30, 2020.
Later that morning he shoulder-charged a 66-year-old woman exercising along the Ross River in Townsville, breaking her jaw in the process.
Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the court Wallace then dragged the woman down an embankment, threatened to kill her if she moved, and sexually assaulted her multiple times.
"She was left there naked with significant injuries, which included a broken jaw, fractured eye socket, significant facial swelling and a dislocated shoulder," Mr Crane said.
Wallace's barrister, James Sheridan, told the court his client was remorseful and was disgusted by his offending.
"There is nothing that would detract from the characterisation of the offending by Mr Wallace as completely and utterly atrocious," Mr Sheridan said.
"The victim impact statements were summarised to my client in the watch house this morning and he expressed again sympathy and shame."
Wallace pleaded guilty to five charges brought against him — one count each of assault occasioning bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, and attempted rape, and two counts of rape.
In sentencing, Judge Dean Morzone described Wallace's attacks as vile and showing profound disrespect for women.
"Here are two women going about their usual business and leisure," Judge Morzone said.
Judge Morzone summarised to Wallace a victim impact statement written by the 66-year-old victim.
"She has suffered significant physical, mental, and emotional harm," he said.
"She talks about emotional pain, loss of faith in humanity, about being psychologically and mentally compromised, she's hypervigilant to normal incidents of shadows sounds and movement.
Wallace was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment for the counts of grievous bodily harm, rape, and attempted rape.
He was further sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment on the charge of assault occasioning bodily harm, to be served consecutively.
In total, Wallace was sentenced to 13 years and six months' jail and, because he was sentenced as a serious violent offender, must serve 80 per cent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
