By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A Dandenong soup kitchen volunteer who repeatedly restrained, raped, mutilated and tortured a female colleague for three days including abducting her interstate in a car boot in 2011 has been sentenced by the Victorian County Court.
Darin Wheeldon, 42, had met his victim at the soup kitchen and was taken in as a boarder at her home because “she clearly felt sorry for you”, Judge Lisa Hannan said on 9 August.
Wheeldon, hurt that his desires for the victim weren’t reciprocated, set out on prolonged and somewhat planned offending that began at the victim’s home and ended in a NSW motel room.
During the abduction, Wheeldon stole the victim’s car, credit cards, money and phone. It ended when she escaped from being bound in a motel-room cupboard while Wheeldon was out.
In a victim impact statement, the victim described being still marked by the event for the past seven years.
She had made it through by the “grace of God” and the support of people who loved her.
Judge Hannan described her as “brave and dignified”; the events that “degraded and humiliated” her still “ripple” through the victim and her children.
She noted Wheeldon had no issues with illicit drugs, alcohol or psychotic illness but a long history of violent convictions.
He was likely fueled by a “severe personality disorder” and showed a lack of insight and “superficial remorse”, the judge noted.
In 2012, Wheeldon was found guilty by a NSW jury and jailed for up to 11 years for the NSW-based offences, with a non-parole period of seven years.
In his Victorian County Court trial this year, Wheeldon initially pleaded not guilty – causing the victim to re-read her statement and re-live the event, Judge Hannon noted.
On the second hearing date, he pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, intentionally causing injury, theft and four counts of rape.
Judge Hannon added nine further years to make a total 20 years imprisonment, with a 14-year non-parole period.
It means Wheeldon is eligible for parole in seven years, 144 days.
He will be a registered sexual offender for life.
