A serial rapist who was jailed for life 25 years ago for attacking women in their own homes has sought to overturn his sentence, claiming it was too “harsh”.
Russell James Watcho, then aged 28, was on unsupervised leave from prison on May 22, 1997 when he bashed, raped and robbed two women in Brisbane.
Watcho faced Brisbane District Court today and represented himself during an application to set aside his sentence based on a claim there had been a clear error of fact.
He remained in custody in the dock wearing a blue collared shirt and beige trousers while speaking to the court in support of his handwritten application.
Watcho was serving 10 years for rape when granted day release to attend drug counselling.
He was handed a rail voucher and told to return to a prison in Brisbane’s west by 4pm.
He instead approached two women in their homes, aged 58 and 45, with a metal pipe and a knife in hand before repeatedly punching them in the face and sexually assaulting them.
Watcho attacked both women within hours of each other and abducted the second victim from her home and attempted to sexually assault her again before she was able to escape.
His offences led to the parole board being sacked and one of the victims threatening a lawsuit against the Queensland government.
Judge Nathan Jarro today told Watcho that he only had a narrow scope to reopen a sentence and could only act if there was evidence of an error of fact involved.
Watcho said he had been denied parole “a few times” since 2011 despite his prisoner security level being lowered, completing courses and being employed in textiles.
“I haven’t done anything since I was a young man. It’s because of psych assessments,” he said.
Watcho said he intended to return to the Indigenous community where he was born and raised to live there again with the support of family.
Jarro said Watcho’s issue was with the parole board and he should work on addressing any concerns they might have.
“The authorities view you as a risk because of what you did. A big risk,” Jarro said.
Watcho claimed he was treated with “severity” because media reports at the time made him “infamous” and other people with similar offences were not given the maximum sentence for rape in Queensland, which is life imprisonment.
“I don’t deserve my sentence. I pleaded guilty. I’m very remorseful for my victims and offences. Today I’m an older man. I think I’ve served enough time,” he said.
Jarro said Watcho’s claims about other cases were about an error in law while the District Court could only look at errors of fact when reopening sentences.
Watcho’s application was dismissed, as Jarro told him to get legal advice about his sentence and continue to work and behave while in prison for his parole applications.
“You need as much proof as you can to show your risk is lowered,” the judge said.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
