A judge had to step away from the bench while sentencing a Latin dance promoter because the convicted rapist was weeping too loudly.
Abdul "Danny" Jalloh was found guilty by a jury of raping a woman at her Melbourne apartment after they had been at an event in a Crown Casino nightclub in August 2017.
Jalloh on Wednesday faced the Victorian County Court for sentencing but Judge Mark Gamble had to briefly leave the bench as the 39-year-old was weeping too loudly for him to be heard clearly.
"I'm sorry," the father-of-two said before he was muted and the hearing recommenced.
Judge Gamble sentenced Jalloh to a total of six years in jail.
He must spend at least three years and nine months behind bars before being eligible for parole.
Jalloh began to massage the woman's shoulders when they got home from Crown before he suggested they go to her bedroom, the court was told.
When they got into the room, he raped her without a condom.
Judge Gamble said while he accepted Jalloh's attack was opportunistic and unplanned, he must have known she was not consenting to sex after she repeatedly told him to stop.
"She felt petrified, scared and frozen ... and has described her life as being forever changed," the judge said.
"It must have become crystal clear to you when you progressed from the massage that she was not interested in sex."
Judge Gamble also said that Jalloh had good prospects of rehabilitation despite continual denials of wrongdoing and a reluctance to take any personal responsibility for the attack.
The woman has since suffered from panic attacks and sleeping problems, the court was told.
