Joel Russo, 29, has been handed a 17-year minimum jail sentence with a judge saying he was an ‘extremely dangerous offender’
Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast
A violent serial rapist who dragged a woman into a creek and tried to drown her before subjecting her to hours of horrific sexual abuse has been jailed for more than two decades.
Joel Russo, 29, grabbed the woman from behind and abducted her as she was jogging along the Merri Creek Trail in Melbourne’s inner north in 2019. He dragged her down an embankment towards the creek and she clawed at the ground to try to get away.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
About Author
More Stories
Jim Chalmers says media’s ‘rule-in rule-out game’ on tax reform has ‘cancerous effect’ on policy debates
Female baboons with strong relationship to fathers found to live longer
Albanese considers snap visit to Europe next week in hope of securing meeting with Trump