Source : Perth Now news
A Gold Coast couple who raped a teenage girl at their home have had their jail terms increased on appeal by the Attorney-General.
Last year, the Supreme Court sentenced Christopher Luke Hili to seven years’ imprisonment and Lee Kathleen Hili to six years’ imprisonment.
It came after a jury found them both guilty of two counts of rape, and one count each of exposing a child to an indecent act and exposing a child to an indecent film.
The couple gave two teenage girls alcohol at their home in 2021 and smoked a joint with them before one of the girls became sick.
They invited the girls to stay the night and gave them clothing to wear.
The victim later told a court she was “intoxicated” and did not “really remember what happened”.
The victim was invited downstairs, believing she was going to the same bedroom as her friend, telling the court she felt unsteady on her feet from the alcohol and cannabis.
But their girl was taken into the couple’s bedroom, which made her feel scared, and she did what she was told to do.
The girl said she started feeling dizzy when the couple started taking her clothes off and she blanked out.
When she woke up, Mr Hili was having sex with her, then she was sexually assaulted by Ms Hili while a pornographic movie was playing in their bedroom.
In handing down his judgment, Justice Thomas Bradley said the couple committed sexual offences in concert as two adults preying on a child.
He said they were both fully engaged in each other’s acts, and outnumbered and overwhelmed the victim, whose state made her more vulnerable.
“Their sexual offending was opportunistic, but nonetheless deliberate and predatory,” he said.
“When the complainant woke up, crying and panicking, both respondents persisted … with Ms Hili telling the complainant to ‘be quiet’, before she lost consciousness again.
“The respondents stopped only when the complainant, having again regained consciousness, withdrew in a panic to the other end of the … bed.”
Justice Bradley said within hours of the girl being at their home they exploited her youth and intoxicated state to commit terrifying and dehumanising offences.
“They betrayed an attitude that the child could be used to satisfy their sexual desires without regard to her intrinsic rights or the consequences the offending would have for her,” he said.
“The victim child was defenceless to their predations. Their offending revealed each respondent as a genuine danger her, and other children. There was an obvious need to protect against the risk of them reoffending.”
The couple’s appeal against their conviction was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.
Instead, Mr Hili’s jail term was increased to eight years. He will be eligible for parole in April 2028.
Ms Hili was re-sentenced to seven years and will be eligible for parole in April next year.
