A West Wollongong man who sexually and indecently assaulted six women in the Illawarra in a series of random, opportunistic and violent acts has been sentenced to a decade behind bars.
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Kane Kelly was arrested in September last year accused of masturbating in front of five women in a spate of lewd acts committed around the Wollongong CBD and university precinct in 2012, then violently raping a woman in isolated sand dunes at Fairy Meadow Beach two years later.
Kelly denied both charges when interviewed by police, even claiming DNA recovered from the rape victim and subsequently matched to him was a "mistake".
However, Kelly eventually came clean eight months later, pleading guilty to eight indecent and sexual assault offences, including three counts of rape, in May.
The reality and shame of living with this assault was too much to carry. I mourn for my 21-year-old self and everything I lost that night.
In court on Friday, Judge Andrew Haesler sentenced Kelly to 10 year's jail, with a 7-year non-parole period. With time served, Kelly eligible to apply for release on parole in 2026.
During his sentencing hearing, Kelly's most recent victim, who was raped in the early hours of New Year's Day in 2014 at the age of 21, read out a heartbreaking statement detailing the lasting impact of Kelly's actions that night.
"Kane Kelly stole my happiness, my self worth and my dignity," she said.
"He made me ashamed of my own body and made me wish I was dead.
"The reality and shame of living with this assault was too much to carry. I mourn for my 21-year-old self and everything I lost that night.
"There will always be a part of me that will always be broken."
A set of agreed facts tendered to the court revealed Kelly's 2012 crimes involved him exposing his genitals to a 21-year-old jogger in Kenny Street on February 1, masturbating in front of a woman walking on Ellen Street on February 5, then fondling his penis in front of three women walking near UOW at different times on March 1.
The last victim alerted a uni security guard and Kelly was arrested 10 minutes later.
He declined to be interviewed by police and was released without charge after three of the victims failed to identify him in a digital police lineup.
Kelly struck again almost two years later, this time dragging a woman into bushland on Fairy Meadow Beach and violently raping her.
In court on Friday, Judge Andrew Haesler said Kelly's initial acts - while representing "gross intrusions" into the dignity of the women involved - paled in comparison to his "brutal" attack on the woman on the beach.
"There was no regard had by the offender to her - he acted solely and selfishly for his own gratification," he said of Kelly's actions that night.
"What occurred [involved a] complete disregard for her as a fellow human being."
The court heard Kelly had "found God" since being in jail and he expressed remorse for what he'd done in a letter tendered by his barrister.
However, Judge Haesler found Kelly had limited insight into his offending and had not expressed any remorse to a psychologist who prepared a sentencing report.
