July 8th 2024.
The case of Wayne Gregory Astill, a former prison guard in New South Wales, has been making headlines after he was convicted of sexually assaulting female inmates. Despite his attempts to appeal and claim a miscarriage of justice, the appeals court has upheld his conviction.
Astill was sentenced to a maximum of 23 years in prison in March of 2023 for the rape and indecent assault of nine women. This all took place while he was working at the Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Sydney's western region. However, Astill's efforts to overturn his conviction and sentence were denied by a panel of Supreme Court justices on Monday.
The now late 60-year-old will have to serve at least 15 years and four months behind bars for his despicable actions. It was found that Astill had abused his position of authority to commit these offenses over the course of several years, until his suspension in 2019.
During the appeal, Astill's lawyers argued that the jury's decision was influenced by a direction given regarding his tendency to act a certain way towards female inmates. This was based on evidence presented by the crown prosecutors, which included instances of Astill giving preferential treatment to some inmates and making sexually suggestive comments towards them.
However, the Supreme Court justices believed that this evidence would have only made the jury's task more complicated and did not allow for the evidence given by one inmate to support the tendency in relation to other complaints by the same inmate.
Furthermore, Astill's lawyers also argued that his sentence was excessively harsh, both in terms of the maximum and minimum time he would have to serve. But the appeals panel ruled that although the sentence was stern, it was justified considering the severity of Astill's offenses.
In fact, Justice Richard Button stated in the judgment that Astill had taken advantage of his victims' vulnerability in a calculated and systematic manner, showing no remorse for his actions. He also highlighted the breach of trust that Astill had committed, causing immediate harm to the inmates involved.
Despite Astill's attempts to challenge his conviction and sentence, the appeals court has ultimately upheld the decision and he will continue to serve his time behind bars. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and justice in cases of abuse and exploitation.
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