Nepali Man in Australia Jailed 3 Years for Rape Case

A Nepali man living in Canberra, Australia, has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for raping a young woman.

According to ABC News, the ACT Supreme Court found 31-year-old Abhishek Timalsina guilty of two counts of rape and four counts of indecent acts without consent.

The man was accused of raping a customer twice at an art shop where he worked inside a shopping mall in Canberra.

According to the report, the incident happened in November 2022 at the art shop in Westfield Belconnen. The woman had come to the store to buy some items. Timalsina closed the shop’s shutter, asked her to wear a work shirt, took her photos, and kissed her without consent.

He then took her to the back room. Even though the woman tried to resist, he raped her twice and behaved indecently multiple times.

The judge of the ACT Supreme Court, Verity McWilliam, said that Timalsina had “created the environment” to carry out the rape. The judge noted that he closed the shop door, took “spontaneous” photos, and asked the woman to change her shirt.

“The victim was locked inside the shop, which increased the risk to her,” the judge wrote in the decision.

Timalsina grew up in Nepal. If he spends more than 12 months in jail, he may face the risk of deportation.

According to the news, this case is the first trial under the positive consent law in the ACT.