Sentences reduced for brutal gang rape

This piece of news really makes me angry! Reducing the sentences for these men because the sentence was "excessive" is senseless!

What about the girl they so brutally raped? She has a life sentence, a life sentence of memory for what she had to go through. Is someone out there going to reduce her sentence? Her body was torn, her soul pierced, and who knows what her dreams are made of now.

Rape is murder. It's the murder of the heart. Here's this teenager, a virgin to boot, and she had to live through what they did to her for their own sadistic pleasure. And, her trussed up parents could do nothing, absolutely nothing to protect her.

Have these animals displayed any remorse? Are they at all sorry for what they have done?

I could spit! So, I'd better stop!

A MAN jailed for up to 40 years for what many consider the worst known gang rape in NSW has had his sentence cut by 10 years.

Dudley Aslett, his nephew and another man sexually assaulted a teenage girl during a home invasion. The nephew, Steven Aslett, had his sentence reduced by four years.

Judge Michael Finnane sentenced both the Asletts and a number of men involved in gang rapes in south-western Sydney in 2000, which prompted new laws allowing for offenders to be jailed for life.

The judge said he had never seen a victim suffer such horrendous injuries as in the attack by the Asletts, which occurred in a unit in Newington.

Dudley Aslett, 35, and his nephew Steven, then 18, brutally raped the 16-year-old girl, a virgin, along with their friend Christopher Bonham, then 18, after they and a 17-year-old youth broke into the unit and ransacked it in July 2003.

They trussed up her parents in the lounge room and threatened them at knifepoint while their daughter was repeatedly raped.

Dudley Aslett, who has spent one birthday out of jail since he was 10, told the girl he would poke her eyes out with a knife if she looked while he raped her, and encouraged the others to sexually assault her. She required surgery and was in hospital for three days.

Yesterday Dudley Aslett's appeal against his conviction was dismissed, even though there was no DNA evidence against him - he wore gloves and a condom. However, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal reduced his maximum sentence from 40 to 30 years, with the non-parole period cut from 30 to 22 ½ years, because it was "excessive".

The court reduced Steven Aslett's maximum sentence from 24 to 20 years, with the non-parole period cut from 17 to 13 years because of his youth and because he had no previous criminal history.

The officer in charge of the case, Detective Inspector Peter Yeomans, told the Herald the girl was relieved it was finally over and Dudley Aslett would remain in jail.

"Dudley Aslett is evil," he said. "This type of case is just diabolical and senseless and the worst that we've had to deal with [in the NSW Sex Crimes Squad]."

A man involved in the 2000 rape cases is serving 28 years, with a non-parole period of 22 years. His sentence was reduced on appeal from a maximum of 55 years with a non-parole period of 46 years. The High Court last month upheld the ruling that he was not in the worst category of rapists. But Dudley Aslett is, the Court of Criminal Appeal said yesterday.

In handing down the judgement, Justice Graham Barr said while "several errors" had been made by Justice Finnane in determining Dudley Aslett's sentence, it was a "most difficult task" given the numerous, serious offences.

Justice Barr agreed the non-parole period should be above the standard of 15 years for gang rape as the attack was in the "worst category".

Sentences reduced for brutal gang rape