WA: Gang rape teenagers should not be jailed, court told

AAP General News (Australia)
08-14-2000
WA: Gang rape teenagers should not be jailed, court told

PERTH, Aug 14 AAP - Six teenagers convicted over the gang-rape of an 18-year-old woman
had acted in accordance with the prevailing culture of the racing industry and should
not be jailed, their lawyers told the Perth District Court today.

The six, all associated with the racing industry, were found guilty last month of detaining
the 18-year-old stablehand against her will at their quarters on May 22 last year.

Four of the teenagers, aged between 15 and 17 at the time of the offences, were found
guilty of repeatedly raping the woman and forcing her to perform oral sex.

In sentencing submissions today, lawyers for the teenagers urged Judge Michael Muller
to be lenient in sentencing them, arguing that they were from good families and had little
prospect of resuming their careers in the racing industry.

The lawyers - at least two of whom have lodged appeals against their clients' convictions
- said the teenagers were unlikely to reoffend.

Defence lawyer Belinda Lonsdale said the judgment of her 17-year-old client had been
impaired by the fact that the accommodation quarters where the offences occurred was known
for group sex.

"His transition from passive onlooker to active participant may stem from the prevalence
of this kind of activity in racing circles," she told the court.

However, crown prosecutor Tony Elliot said the seriousness of the offences meant that
sentences of detention were appropriate for the four teenagers convicted of the sex attacks.

He said there were several factors aggravating the case, including the fact that the
offences were committed in company, which would have increased the terror of the young
woman, and they involved degradation and violence including the use of a whip to strike
the woman which was "tantamount to treating her like an animal".

Judge Muller will sentence the teenagers on Friday.

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