This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

A South Australian man who kidnapped and raped a European backpacker in a pig shed on his regional property has been jailed for 18 years.

Gene Charles Bristow held the 24-year-old woman for two days after he answered a Gumtree advertisement she posted in search of farm work in 2017.

The 54-year-old showed no emotion as district court judge Geraldine Davison handed him the sentence and set a non-parole period of 12 years, six months on Tuesday.

South Australian man guilty of kidnapping and raping backpacker Read more

She said Bristow lied to the woman to lure her to the farm at Meningie, 150km south-east of the South Australian capital, Adelaide, then chained her hands and legs “in what must have been a terrifying experience for her”.

“You took her mobile phone and disposed of it, and left her alone in that shed in the middle of nowhere,” she said. “You raped her on a number of occasions.”

While she was in the shed, Bristow threatened to shoot her and told her fake stories about police corruption and his involvement in a kidnapping ring.

“It is impossible to understand how alone and devastated she must have felt as you humiliated and degraded her in a foreign country,” Davison said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The pig shed where a European backpacker was chained up and raped over two days by Gene Charles Bristow. Photograph: AAP

But she said it was the woman’s courage, resourcefulness and practicality that led Bristow to eventually release her in the city of Murray Bridge, a major agricultural centre, 76 m south-east of Adelaide.

“She managed to undo the chains and to use her computer to alert others that she needed assistance,” Davison said. “She also remained submissive to you and did not attempt to aggravate and annoy you.”

Davison said the woman, who returned to Australia for Bristow’s trial, said in her victim impact statement she felt like an animal or a slave while she was held in the shed against her will.

The judge said Bristow showed no remorse or rehabilitation and had changed the course of his victim’s life.

“She had, prior to your offending, been an outgoing, adventurous woman, who had travelled the world and experienced life,” she said. “Your offending has left her as a person who feels she cannot trust others.”

Taking into account time already served, Bristow will be eligible for parole in 2029.