Five years jail for rape

Press, 13 July 1985, Page 5

Five years jail for rape

PA Auckland A man convicted for the third time on a charge of rape was jailed yesterday for five years. Colin Jack Mitchell, aged 27, of Mount Roskill, committed rape, sodomy, and indecent assault on a prostitute, the High Court in Auckland heard. The woman got into Mitchell’s cat while she was soliciting and was driven to a Mount Eden railway yard where the offences oc-

curred. Mr Justice Henry, at yesterday’s sentencing, said Mitchell was convicted of indecent assault at the age of 14, an offence of rape soon after that, and was jailed for five years for another rape at the age of 15. His Honour said that Mitchell threatened the woman with retribution if she went to the police. . Although , Mitchell’s earlier convictions for rape

were 12 years ago and he had served his penalty for those offences, the Court could not disregard them entirely. His Honour said he took into account that Mitchell had served the equivalent of a year’s jail while in custody pending sentence. Mitchell was sentenced to five years jail for the rape, five years jail for sodomy, and two years jail for indecent assault, the sentences to be concurrent.