Arabic version: رالف كار يسعى إلى تخفيف عقوبة السجن

According to ABC News, lawyers for Ralph Carr have asked the County Court in Melbourne to reduce any jail sentence imposed on the entertainment and sporting manager following his conviction for two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

A jury found Carr guilty last month over an attack on a woman in March 2023. The court heard the woman said Carr groped her and sexually penetrated her without consent in his bedroom. The attack ended after she punched him in the face and called him a rapist. Carr denied the allegations and is planning to appeal the verdicts.

At Monday’s pre-sentence hearing, defence barrister Dermot Dann KC said the offences found by the jury lasted only seconds. He argued that Carr’s PTSD, anxiety, depression and history of suicide attempts meant imprisonment would affect him more heavily than a person in normal health.

Dann said Carr had been held in protective custody for 23 hours a day and described those conditions as “a living hell”. He said Carr had repeatedly hit his head against a wall after the verdict, experienced panic attacks and struggled to sleep. Judge Frank Gucciardo said he had to trust prison authorities would keep Carr in isolation only for an appropriate period.

Carr’s psychiatrist, Jacqueline Rakov, criticised the medical care he was receiving in custody, but later accepted reports she prepared could contain bias because she was both treating him and acting as an independent expert. Carr’s lawyers are preparing an application to delay sentencing, which could result in bail if successful. Prosecutors are expected to address the court on Tuesday.