A teenager who sexually assaulted a woman as she slept has been granted immediate parole after serving less than a year behind bars.
Xzaveah Elijah Wano, 18, and another man broke into the woman’s home in the Cairns suburb of Kanimbla in January, the Cairns Post reports.
Cairns District Court heard they smoked 10 ‘cones’ of marijuana then spotted the woman asleep in her bedroom and decided to go inside to ‘play’ with her.
In a victim impact statement, the woman revealed she’d been left so traumatised by the attack that she left Cairns.
A teenager who sexually assaulted a woman as she slept has been granted immediate parole after serving less than a year behind bars. Stock photo
It revealed that she had been left with emotional scars and ‘feels scared’ and ‘very anxious about where she lives.’
But on Thursday, Judge Dean Morzone granted Wano sentenced him to three years with immediate parole after he served just 323 days in custody.
Wano had pleaded guilty to one count each of rape, sexual assault in company, burglary and stealing, and attempted burglary in company.
Judge Morzone described Wano’s conduct as ‘vile’ and resulting from an ‘obvious disrespect of women.’
But after handing down the sentence, he cited Wano’s ‘significant’ co-operation with police.
It came after Wano’s defence barrister said the police had no case against Wano until he admitted it, the Post reports.
Crown prosecutor Gelma Meoli had told the court that it had been Wano’s companion who first suggested they assault the woman.
After they stole handbags, mobile phones, purses, money and a sword from her home, he agreed to it, according to the Post.
The court heard the woman had been unwell in the days leading up to the attack and was exhausted and in a deep sleep.
Wano’s friend allegedly initiated the sexual assault, before Wano pulled the woman’s underwear to the side and assaulted her as well.
The victim woke up, screamed and chased the pair, who fled with the stolen items.
Wano and his co-accused then attempted to break into another home nearby but fled when they were spotted.