Fernando Salas Collard: Coogee Beach rapist slammed by judge as he learns how long he will spend in jail

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT A man who raped a vulnerable, drunken teenager at Coogee Beach has been jailed for six and a half years, with the judge saying such crimes made women fearful in public. District Court of WA Judge Seamus Rafferty unleashed on Fernando Octavio Salas Collard at his sentencing on Wednesday, fast-tracked after he was found guilty by a jury on Friday. The 34-year-old committed the brazen sexual assault on the afternoon of January 12 last year after the victim and her friend — both 16 — swam up to the jetty and struck up a conversation with him and his mate. “This was an average Australian summer day for these two young people,” Judge Rafferty said. CCTV footage showed the girl unsteady on her feet as she walked on a footpath, having consumed alcohol on a bus on the way to the beach. She was outside the toilet block a short time later when Salas Collard looked at her and made what she described as a “head flick” gesture urging her to approach. He then led her into a cubicle where he raped her without saying a word. “She didn’t appreciate what was about to occur and was disinhibited due to the alcohol,” Judge Rafferty said. Salas Collard clamped a hand over her mouth when her friend called out looking for her, and thrust his tongue into her mouth when the friend called out again. “It was done to keep her quiet,” the judge said. “You violated her in the most intimate way. “Once she realised what was happening to her, to use her words, she froze. She was in a state of shock. “She was incapable of responding given the fear that she felt.” The teen burst into tears as she walked — then ran — away, seeking help from two strangers. Meanwhile, Salas Collard “had a shower inside the toilet block and casually walked back to the beach”, Judge Rafferty said. “People think twice, particularly women, about doing things in public because they are concerned about this type of thing happening to them,” he said. “It erodes public confidence. “You just wouldn’t ever contemplate that someone would do that to your child.” Salas Collard was not remorseful “in any way” and his insistence at trial that the victim had been flirting — shouting out “I’ll f... you” while he was in the toilet block then initiating sex — was “nothing short of appalling”. “You took advantage of a 16 year old who you knew was intoxicated for your own selfish sexual gratification,” Judge Rafferty said. He said the girl had been profoundly affected by the attack, which exacerbated pre-existing mental health issues and left her suffering suicidal ideation. Salas Collard will be eligible for parole after serving four and a half years. The court was told he had fathered numerous children including two to a woman he was with at the time of the crime, who is standing by him and screamed hysterically when the guilty verdict was handed down. She wept as the sentence was revealed. Sexual Assault Resource Centre 1800 199 888 Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800