A 32-year-old man will spend more than five years behind bars after raping a woman in Adelaide's CBD in 2021.
WARNING: This story contains details readers may find distressing.
Harpreet Singh Chahal was sentenced today after he pleaded guilty to one count of rape.
The court heard the victim rented an apartment on Morphett Street for a 35th birthday celebration with a group of friends in September 2021.
The victim was walking home alone after a night out when she attended bars and a Peel Street restaurant, the court heard.
She finished her night at the Exeter Hotel and started to walk back to her accommodation about 12:30am.
She walked past two men on Flinders Street who started to follow her.
The court heard that Chahal made comments to the woman such as "you look hot" and "don't you want to stop and talk to us?", to which the victim replied "no" and kept walking.
Both men continued to follow her on the street before Chahal pulled on her arm, which caused the victim to stumble, the court heard.
At the time, Chahal told the victim how much she's "going to like it" when he grabbed and took her off the street before smashing her mobile phone on the ground.
The court heard Chahal raped the victim, and she asked him to stop multiple times.
After the assault, both men ran off and police were contacted at 1:08am.
The court heard DNA testing established that Chahal was more than "one hundred billion times more likely" to be the source of the saliva left on the victim.
Chahal admitted to the court he had taken methamphetamine at the time of the offending and his mental health was poor.
Offending was opportunistic, court told
In sentencing, Judge Nick Alexandrides said the victim's life has been impacted forever and told the court she now suffers severe consistent anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
"She used to love her life ... which she lives in a rural setting with her daughter," the victim impact statement read.
"She no longer feels safe to bring her daughter to Adelaide.
"She described feelings of anger, and self blame ... she feels sad and confused that another person can negatively impact on her life on what seems forever."
The court heard the offending was described as "opportunistic" in nature, and that Chahal did not set out to cause harm.
The court heard that Chahal was ashamed and has issued an apology.
He was sentenced to seven years, seven months and seven days imprisonment, with a non-parole period of five years.
