British farmer who kidnapped and raped backpacker in Australia likely to be extradited to UK
He chained 24-year-old woman up in pig shed for two days after she posted Gumtree advert looking for farm work in 2017
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Your support makes all the difference.A British hobby farmer who kidnapped and raped a backpacker is likely to be deported back to the UK, an Australian court has heard.
Gene Charles Bristow, 54, appeared at South Australia District Court in Adelaide on Thursday after a jury found him guilty earlier this month.
Bristow’s lawyer Chris Weir said his client did not accept the findings, which had put his family relationships under strain.
He said: “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.”
Mr Weir said Bristow’s marriage was “never really quite the same” after the death of his stepson in a road accident in about 2010.
He told the court that Bristow, a father of four, was born and raised in the UK and moved to Australia in the early 2000s.
“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.
The charges stemmed from a Gumtree advert the 24-year-old backpacker posted in search of temporary farm work in February 2017.
Bristow took her to his hobby farm at Meningie, 90 miles south-east of Adelaide, before chaining her up and raping her inside an old pig shed.
He released her the following day, after police swarmed the area in search of the missing woman.
Prosecutor Michael Foundas said the crime was particularly serious because it was premeditated, and Bristow held the woman for two days.
He said Bristow made repeated threats of violence and led her to believe he was involved in a kidnapping and human trafficking operation.
He added: “The fear and apprehension he must have invoked in the victim was no doubt significant and adds to the severity of the circumstances of the offending.”
The woman came face to face with Bristow when her victim impact statement was read out in court days after the verdict was handed down.
She said she felt like an animal or slave throughout the ordeal, which left her terrified, miserable and feeling powerless.
“I was locked in chains, held against my will and had to endure things that nobody should have to endure,” she said.
“He took everything from me. Not only did he take my clothes and belongings, but also my freedom, my mind, my family and my friends.”
Judge Geraldine Davison remanded Bristow in custody for sentencing in May.
If you have been affected by sexual violence, you can find help via the NHS. Rape Crisis offers specialist support for women and girls; and the The Survivors’ Trust supports people of any gender.