A woman sexually assaulted by a stranger said she "thought it had turned from a violent rape into a murder" when he started hitting her head on concrete.
The victim, a solo traveller to Canberra, checked into a Northbourne hotel before she was attacked by the man in the building's car park.
In an impact statement, she described the assault as a "ferocious, premeditated, vicious and beast-like attack".
Lal Ro Puia was aged 30 when, in November 2025, about 6pm, he followed the victim into the hotel's car park, pushed her to the ground and attempted to remove her clothes.
She fought back, stabbing the man with her keys as she was dragged along the car park floor.
Puia, who has a history of sexual crimes and had only been released from jail about three months prior, then left without explanation and she called triple zero.
In the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday, September 15, the attacker was handed a five-year jail sentence with a two-year-and-nine-month non-parole period.
Justice Andrew Muller said CCTV footage of the assault showed the woman's "courageous attempts" to fight off her attacker.
Puia previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the second degree, and burglary with intent to cause harm. The court took an additional charge of committing an act of indecency without consent into account.
Last week, in a statement, the victim described Puia as an "evil predator" who clawed at her as she felt "like a piece of meat on a rotisserie".
Prosecutor Marcus Dyason said the sexual assault would have been a "harrowing experience" for the victim, and her fighting back "did not deter the accused in the slightest".
Legal Aid lawyer Ewan Small said his client had a schizophrenia diagnosis and was being held in an area of Canberra's jail for people with high psychiatric needs.
Mr Small argued a shorter non-parole period would recognise Puia's childhood deprivation and mental ill health.
"A protracted period in custody has the risk of institutionalising Mr Puia," he said.
On Tuesday, Justice Muller said the attacker, who experienced periods of homelessness, did not consistently take his medication and engaged in illicit drug use.
"[There is] significant risk to the community if he does not address illicit substance use or submit to treatment," the judge said.
In determining Puia's sentence, Justice Muller had to balance the "tension" between deterrence, community protection and managing the man's mental health to set him up for "a safe and durable return to the community".
"Lengthy supervision in the community ... [creates a] likely path where Mr Puia is no longer a threat to women," the judge said.
Puia will be eligible for parole in August 2028.
