In short:
Disability worker Arjun Kandel has been handed a 12-year sentence for raping a woman with intellectual disablity in his care.
The judge says “predators” like Kandel target the vulnerable and jailing him would protect the community.
What’s next?
Kandel will be eligible to apply for parole in 2031.
A man who raped a woman with an intellectual disability in his care has been labelled a “predator” by a District Court judge and will remain behind bars until at least 2031.
Arjun Kandel, 45, was sentenced on Tuesday for the rape and aggravated indecent assault of the woman in a care home in August 2020.
Judge Liesl Kudelka told Kandel the penalty she imposed should work as a warning to “predators like [him]” who commit “horrific acts”.
“Sadly, there are people like you who target the vulnerable because of their vulnerability,” she said.
“Abusers like you think you’ll get away with it because someone with such an intellectual disability will either be unable to complain, or if they do, no-one will believe them.
“So, predators like you should be warned in these terms: we have a very vulnerable person here who did complain, she did speak out and she was believed.”
In May, Kandel was found guilty of one count of rape and aggravated indecent assault and not guilty of another count of aggravated indecent assault against another woman with an intellectual disability.
The court heard Kandel raped the 35-year-old woman, who has the intellect of a child, while he was working as a relief carer for the Department of Human Services.
“You raped and indecently assaulted [the victim] in her bedroom,” she said.
“When [the victim] saw her mum … she rolled over in bed, sat up and gave her mum a big hug.
“To the best of her ability, [the victim] told her mum what had happened.”
Judge Kudelka said despite it being submitted that Kandel had led an otherwise blameless life, there was evidence he had a sexual interest in the victim and on another occasion commented on her breast size.
“It is your otherwise blameless life which enabled you to get into this position of trust as a support worker in the disability sector,” she said.
“In sentencing you for this offending, the most important factor is the need to protect the community.”
The judge thanked the victim’s foster mother for her statement outlining the significant impact of the offending.
“Thank you for your justice,” the mother responded.
Outside court, the mother said the world would be a safer place for vulnerable people while Kandel is in prison.
“It’s amazing that we’ve achieved this and there is justice for the most vulnerable people in South Australia,” she said.
Kandel was sentenced to 12 years in jail with a non-parole period of seven years.
The sentence was backdated to June 21 this year, when Kandel’s bail was revoked.
