Kennedy demanded his victim lift her nightie. The woman “had an overwhelming sense that she didn’t want anything to happen in her bedroom”, the judge said.
She was forced to perform oral sex in a sitting room. He told her “count to 20 and don’t tell anyone”.
DNA recovered from the scene later matched Kennedy’s.
In a victim impact statement, she said she had felt “totally alone” and thought she was going to die.
Bondi Beach, January 2004
The second attack, this time in the eastern suburbs, was on a 23-year-old woman walking home from a night out at Bondi Beach when she was grabbed by Kennedy and dragged into a laneway.
He forced her to the ground, and she struggled and screamed before he put a hand over her mouth and told her to “shut the f— up”.
Kennedy raped the woman and threatened her if she did not co-operate. As he walked away, “he told her not to look back”.
The woman ran to seek help from a woman at a phone box, who then walked her home.
A DNA profile consistent with Kennedy’s was later established from swabs and her top.
Darren Kennedy admitted to committing multiple historical sexual assaults.Credit: NSW Police
Bexley, January 2004
Kennedy’s third attack was on a 17-year-old schoolgirl in her family home in Bexley. She woke to find him climbing through her bedroom window and was “immediately fearful”, the court heard. He stroked her face, told her to be quiet and not to look at him, and put a gloved hand over her mouth.
In an attempt to alert her family, the teenager asked Kennedy if she could use the toilet. He forced her out the window and walked her to the rear of the unit block, telling her, “You can pee now, take your pants off”.
Shoved against a brick wall, the victim kicked and screamed, “Oh my God, help me.”
“He grabbed her head and pushed it down to stop her seeing his face,” the court heard.
A police COMFIT of the “inner west rapist” Darren Kennedy from 2004.Credit: Police Media
The girl sustained bruising and a black eye and told her parents. A torch found on the ground by her father, and swab analysis, led to the identification of Kennedy. The COMFIT image she provided to police “bears a striking resemblance to the offender”, the judge said.
Marrickville, March 2004
The fourth attack was on a 51-year-old woman at her Marrickville home in the early hours of the morning as she packed for a flight to her son’s wedding, after her husband had left for work.
While outside, Kennedy grabbed her from behind and told her he “just wanted to touch her boobs”.
The woman was raped twice and had her nightie pulled over her head.
The court heard he “thanked her”, said to count to 100 and told her she “didn’t want to spoil her son’s wedding by telling anyone”.
“She counted to 100 but even then, she was in such fear, she did not move,” the judge said.
Swabs from a sexual assault examination matched Kennedy’s DNA.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said her life had changed forever, causing her fear, guilt, sadness and shame, making her hate being in the garden and unable to go into dark rooms.
“She can still feel the offender and hear his voice in her head,” the judge said.
Rapist jailed for at least 13 years
Kennedy pleaded guilty to 13 charges, including four counts of sexual intercourse without consent, two counts of taking a person to obtain advantage, being his sexual gratification, and offences of indecent assault and possessing child abuse material.
In a letter to the court, he acknowledged his crimes were “deplorable and monstrous” and that he was “deeply sorry”. The judge accepted his remorse but said, “actions speak louder than words”.
She noted Kennedy had a deprived childhood and suffered mental health disorders, and while it did not mean “he should bear no moral responsibility”, it was taken into account.
Girdham jailed Kennedy for 17 years and four months, with a non-parole period of 13 years. His sentence was backdated to his arrest, making him first eligible for parole in November 2034.
If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au), 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.
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