A man has been jailed for four years for raping a 15-year-old girl in a Launceston hotel room after a party.
Blake Ellis Jetson, now 27, was found guilty by a jury of indecent assault and two counts of rape.
He was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Tasmania on September 8.
The court heard the crimes happened in the early hours of January 23, 2021, at the Cornwall Hotel, when Jetson was 22.
Justice Robert Pearce, in his published comments, said a 17-year-old girl Jetson knew introduced him to the 15-year-old at a party.
The three left together around midnight and agreed to stay in a room Jetson had booked with three beds so he would not have to drive home.
The court heard the two girls were trying to sleep on a large bed when Jetson climbed in between them. Pearce said Jetson knew the girl’s age by that time.
The judge said Jetson removed the girl’s underwear and raped her.
The girl told him to stop, tried to push him away and began to cry. At one point, Jetson put his hand over her mouth.
Pearce said the girl called out in an attempt to wake the other girl but was unable to do so.
Jetson denied any sexual acts took place, but the jury rejected his account.
Pearce said Jetson had no relevant prior convictions and had held steady work since completing Year 10.
The court heard he was threatened and shot at after the incident by people the judge said were likely linked to the girl.
Jetson later moved to Queensland and was charged in 2023.
Pearce said rape was “an inherently serious crime” and that the psychological effects on victims could be “profound and very long lasting”.
Jetson was sentenced to four years behind bars, backdated to August 21 when he was remanded in custody.
He will be eligible for parole after serving two years and will be placed on the sex offender register for five years from his release.
Anyone affected by sexual assault can call the Sexual Assault Support Service on 1800 697 877 or 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
