Gene Bristow does not accept guilty verdicts, which have put his family relationships under strain, lawyer tells court

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A man who kidnapped and raped a European backpacker in South Australia is likely to be deported to the UK on completion of his sentence, a court has heard.

Gene Charles Bristow, 54, appeared in the South Australian district court on Thursday, after a jury delivered guilty verdicts against him earlier this month.

Chris Weir, for Bristow, told the court his client did not accept the findings, which have put his family relationships under strain.

“He is likely to have lost his marriage, he is estranged from all of his children and, unless his wife is able to manage the mortgage, it’s very likely that the family will lose the property,” he said.

Weir said Bristow’s marriage was “never really quite the same” after the death of his stepson in a road crash in about 2010.

He told the court Bristow had been born and raised in the UK and moved to Australia in the early 2000s.

'I felt like a slave': backpacker says South Australian rapist should never be free Read more

“What is likely to happen at the end of his non-parole period is that he will be taken into immigration custody and then ... deported back to the United Kingdom,” he said.

Bristow was found guilty of one count of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of rape, two counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape.

Bristow contacted the 24-year-old backpacker after she posted a Gumtree advertisement in search of temporary farm work in February 2017.

Bristow took her to the property, chained her up and raped her inside an old pig shed, before releasing her the next day.

After Bristow’s conviction she told the court in a victim impact statement she had felt “like an animal or a slave” in the shed. “I felt powerless and miserable. It was terrifying.

“I was locked in chains, held against my will and had to endure things that nobody should have to endure.

“I was afraid I would never see my family again because I thought I would die in Australia.”

The woman said she had suffered lasting psychological and physical impacts and asked for Bristow never to be released.

“He took everything from me, not only did he take my clothes and my belongings – but also my freedom, my mind, my family, my friends,” the backpacker said.