A man who sexually assaulted a stranger on her morning walk creepily asked her “baby, are you single?” and demanded to know why she ignored him before subjecting her to the heinous attack, a court has been told.
Joshawa Eric Lyle Kane’s “cowardly and disgusting” assault of the woman was captured on CCTV, showing the victim desperately attempting to break free of his bear hug as she was dragged into the shadows of a public park.
The pair were not known to each other and Kane, 28, simply walked away after assaulting her.
Kane sat silently and stared blankly ahead during his sentencing at Brisbane District Court on Tuesday.
He pleaded guilty to a single count of sexual assault.
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The court was told the victim, 22, was on her morning walk through a public park towards Dakabin train station, north of Brisbane, about 7am on November 15, 2020.
He was sitting in the bushes when he noticed the woman before asking her: “Baby, are you single?”.
The woman ignored him and he began to follow her.
As she reached for her phone because she was feeling uncomfortable, Kane grabbed the woman from behind, lifting her off the ground and dragging her through the public park.
The court was told Kane demanded to know why she ignored him as she desperately called for help and attempted to free herself.
CCTV captured him carrying the woman underneath a cricket clubhouse as she struggled to escape.
Kane then placed a hand on the woman’s throat, touching her breasts and placing his hand inside her underwear.
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He then pushed his finger against the woman’s anus, covering her mouth with his hand to stop her calling for help.
The court was told the assault only stopped when a bystander intervened.
Kane is captured in the footage walking away from the distressed woman as the bystander phones police.
“This was a cowardly, disgusting act on a vulnerable woman going to catch the train on her way to work,” Judge Michael Williamson said.
“It is something you should be deeply ashamed of.”
Kane was sentenced to 18 months’ jail but Judge Williamson ordered his term be immediately suspended for three years.
More than nine months he spent in pre-sentence custody was declared as time served.
The court was told Kane, a father of three, had problems with alcohol, which underpinned the offending.
Kane’s defence barrister said his client had been subjected to long periods of lockdown while on remand in custody due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kane had no previous convictions for sexual offending.
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