By Mitchell Clarke
An ice addicted man who raped a woman at knifepoint in her Pakenham bathroom and then lectured her about bringing men into her house has been jailed.
Rasit Serin, 40, was sentenced in the County Court on 5 August after pleading guilty to one count of rape, which involved two forced sexual acts.
Serin was invited to his 51-year-old victim’s Pakenham house on 14 September 2019 to help dismantle and move two beds.
After becoming sweaty, Serin asked to have a bath and proceeded to call his victim into the bathroom on three occasions.
Judge Susan Pullen said the victim told Serin she was too busy getting ready to leave, but eventually walked into the bathroom on his third call.
“Suddenly you were behind her, naked,” Judge Pullen said.
“You grabbed her from behind with your arm around her neck. You had a knife in your hand and held the knife to her throat. She could feel it pressing against her skin.”
The court heard Serin became “incredibly aggressive” towards his victim and made “degrading and intimidating” demands as he waved the knife around and ordered her to “f****** get down there and do as you’re told”.
“She was terrified you were going to kill her and that you might drown her in the bath that was still full with water,” Judge Pullen said.
“Every time she tried to get up you grabbed her hair and pushed her down again.”
After the first assault, Serin allowed his victim to shower, but remained in the bathroom and watched on with the 32 centimetre knife still in hand, Judge Pullen said.
The court heard he then followed the woman into the spare room and demanded she performed the sexual act for a second time.
Serin later apologised to his victim and said she was “like family” and that she could call him if she needed anything before voicing a “stern lecture” about letting men into her house.
The “terrified” victim notified police on 18 September, who executed a search warrant and arrested Serin at his Dallas home on 19 September.
According to court documents, Serin denied any sexual contact in his police interview and claimed his victim became “a little bit affectionate” and that he was “not really interested” in her.
The pair first met at a Prahran bar in July 2019 where they smoked methamphetamine in his car and engaged in consensual sex.
The victim eventually told Serin she only wanted to be friends, but soon became disturbed by an increase in “controlling and threatening“ text messages.
Just days before the attack, Serin contacted his victim to tell her she had been a positive influence on his life and that he had stopped taking drugs, which prompted the catch up.
The court heard the victim had suffered considerably and that the attack had affected “every aspect of her life“, and left her feeling socially isolated from friends and family.
“Since your attack upon her, she no longer felt safe and was fearful someone would come up behind her and attack her,” Judge Pullen said.
“Her flashbacks were frightening and difficult to cope with. She could see the knife flashing and it triggered her symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and breathlessness. She felt she had lost control of her thoughts and emotions.“
Serin eventually pleaded guilty to the charge of rape, which, according to Judge Pullen, indicated some form of remorse.
The court heard he had a “concerning and extensive criminal history“ dating back to 2004, and had previously fronted court on domestic violence incidents and traffic offences, but had no prior sexual offending convictions.
A former semi-professional soccer player, Serin began taking ice in 2014 and was said to have had a difficult childhood.
Judge Pullen said she held a “guarded optimism” about his prospects of rehabilitation and sentenced him to eight years and six months in jail.
With time already served, Serin could be eligible for parole in six years and three months.
He was also placed on the sex offender registration list for 15 years.
