British ski instructor jailed for rape and assault in Australia

Matthew James Williams sentenced for ‘horrifying’ attack on pair in Jindabyne.

A British ski instructor has been jailed for 10 years for raping a woman and physically assaulting her male friend in Australia.

Matthew James Williams, 29, attacked the pair on a street in Jindabyne, south of Canberra and near the border between New South Wales and Victoria, in July 2018. He had followed the woman and her 25-year-old companion after they left a pub to walk home.

At the time, police said it was a “horrendous” attack and the injuries to the victims were so severe that it was initially suspected there had been multiple perpetrators.

Justice Nicole Noman, in sentencing remarks reported by the ABC on Friday, said: “ must have been horrifying in its intensity and severity.”

New South Wales district court heard that Williams had repeatedly punched and kicked the man, knocking him unconscious, after confronting the pair on a street. He then punched the 22-year-old woman in the face before raping her.

Williams fled the scene after the male victim regained consciousness and managed to get help from a passing car.

He was arrested five days later and named the sole suspect, after police found his DNA and watch at the scene.

Williams pleaded guilty in April to charges of aggravated sexual assault, inflicting actual bodily harm with intent to have sexual intercourse with another, and possessing a prohibited drug.

He will be eligible for parole after seven years and deported to the UK upon his release, the BBC reported.

Williams was working as a ski instructor in Snowy Mountains, Australia.

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