Tenterfield man sentenced to five years' jail for rape of 21-year-old-woman

Neville Joseph Koch, 53, appeared in Armidale District Court via audio-visual link from the South Coast Correctional Centre in Nowra on June 14 for the sentencing.

A jury handed Koch a guilty verdict in April and judge Deborah Payne handed down the sentence on Friday after deliberations about the severity of the case.

Submissions were made by crown prosecutor Jo Smith and Koch's lawyer Chris Leahy of Leahy Lawyers in Glen Innes.

"I accept beyond reasonable doubt the account given by the complainant," the judge said.

Judge Payne read aloud a summary of that account, which indicated the woman had been driven to a farm property in Tenterfield by Koch on May 10, 2022.

Koch pushed the victim into his bedroom and removed her pants and underwear.

The victim tried to pull her shirt down to cover her crotch and asked Koch to stop.

"The victim continued to ask him to stop," Judge Payne said. "The victim asked him to stop and she continued to try to push him off, but he was bigger than her."

The summary stated that "the intercourse did not last long" and that Koch had then thrown the victim's pants at her and left the room.

When she came out he told her she had to leave.

He was arrested two days later on May 13, 2022 and was out on bail until the guilty verdict in April of 2024.

Judge Payne said an assessment had deemed Koch a low-risk of re-offending and said he had maintained a clean record until this incident, aged 51.

The Judge also said Koch had support from his family, gainful employment and "excellent prospects for rehabilitation" that she considered as part of her sentencing.

"He has committed a serious criminal offence in what was otherwise a blameless life," she said.

"I do not consider this was planned and rather it was opportunistic."

Judge Payne sentenced Koch to five years imprisonment with a non-parole period of two years and nine months.

With time served, Koch will be eligible for parole on January 13, 2027.