Club groper dodges jail after attacks caught on CCTV
Tara Cosoleto |
A brazen serial groper who preyed upon 18 women in a nightclub has avoided jail time after a judge found his risk of reoffending was low.
David Maria Anthony Rayan, 34, was facing up to 10 years in prison but was instead sentenced to a two-year community corrections order on Monday.
He dodged reporters’ questions as he left the Victorian County Court, claiming he was the one being harassed.
The former PwC IT worker pleaded guilty to 17 charges of sexual assault and one count of attempted sexual assault over the attacks at Revolver Upstairs in Melbourne’s inner east.
CCTV footage from the nightclub showed Rayan groping his victims on the buttocks, stroking their backs and kissing them on the arms and shoulders.
The attacks happened on three separate occasions in September and October 2023, and none of his victims were known to him.
Rayan admitted to police he touched one of the women accidentally, but claimed he could not remember the other incidents because he was too drunk.
Victorian County Court Judge Peter Rozen said he held reservations about those claims as he sentenced Rayan over the “brazen” attacks.
“Your offending was deliberate and you knew what you were doing,” he said.
The women were entitled to feel safe in the nightclub and the scale of Rayan’s crimes was concerning, Judge Rozen said.
He noted that three victim impact statements were read to the court, where the women described their ongoing anxiety and shattered sense of security.
Judge Rozen also decided Rayan’s moral culpability was considerable and said the 34-year-old lacked insight into his offending, which was concerning.
But the judge accepted the sexual assaults were at the lower end of seriousness, given Rayan’s victims were adults and the attacks were fleeting.
His risk of reoffending was also low, given he had no priors, no pending charges and no diagnosed mental health conditions, Judge Rozen said.
“I accept this offending was out of character for you,” the judge said.
Rayan was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order with 180 hours of unpaid community work.
He will also have to complete treatment for alcohol abuse and programs to reduce his risk of reoffending.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
AAP
