Man sentenced to five years for Canberra hotel car park assault
Lal Ro Puia received five years jail with a two-year-nine-month non-parole period for assaulting a woman in a Canberra hotel car park.
A solo traveller checking into a Northbourne hotel was attacked by a stranger in the building's car park about 6pm in November last year. The man followed her, pushed her to the ground and tried to remove her clothes.
Lal Ro Puia fought back, stabbing him repeatedly with her keys as he dragged her across the floor. He then fled.
In the ACT Supreme Court today, the attacker was sentenced to five years jail. Justice Andrew Muller noted CCTV footage showed her "courageous attempts" to resist.
The man had a history of sexual crimes and had only been released from jail about three months before the assault. He pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the second degree, burglary with intent to cause harm, and the court took an additional indecency charge into account.
- 5 years jail, 2 years 9 months non-parole
- Sentence length
- 30 years old
- Attacker's age
- 3 months before the assault
- Prior release
- August 2028
- Parole eligibility
Why it mattersA serious violent crime has reached sentencing. The conviction affirms court findings on the assault's severity and the victim's brave resistance.
AustraliaA significant Canberra court case has concluded with a substantial prison sentence for a violent sexual crime.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 9 d ago
