Supreme Court dismisses appeal of Brisbane man jailed for life after torturing woman for three weeks
A Brisbane man jailed for life after committing acts of "unspeakable depravity" against a woman during a three week period of "utterly brutal" torture has had his appeal dismissed.
Nicholas John Crilley was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2020 after he pleaded guilty to more than 50 charges, including torture and deprivation of liberty, over the 23-day attack at a Bulimba unit.
In his appeal, Crilley argued he had saved his victim's life by placing an anonymous call to emergency services.
He also argued the sentencing judge had not given any mitigating effect to his remorse expressed in a letter of apology or to his guilty plea.
In the letter, Crilley described the prolonged attack as a "complete overreaction" and the result of drug use.
Justice David Boddice said even though the call to emergency services saved the woman's life, a sentence less than life imprisonment "would not have been just".
He also found there was "no basis" to the claim that the initial sentencing failed to consider remorse, finding the letter showed Crilley was "remorseful for his predicament" rather than his victim's injuries.
Justice Boddice said Crilley had subjected his victim to "extreme physical and sexual violence" that left her on the brink of death when she was discovered by emergency services.
Crilley began the attack on his victim, who was aged 22 at the time, after accusing her of being involved in a targeted shooting at him.
Throughout the offending Crilley had "violent, forced intercourse" with the woman, repeatedly filled a kettle with boiling water which he threw on her, and poured acetone on her legs.
The woman was left with burns to 46 per cent of her body, broken facial bones and serious disfigurement.
Crilley eventually made an anonymous call to triple-0, telling a friend the woman was "too hard to look after" and that he did not think he could kill her.
During sentencing the court heard that first responders initially thought the woman was dead before she began to make noise.
She was hospitalised for eight weeks after being rescued and was kept in an induced coma for ten days.
The woman required "intense rehabilitation" afterwards including learning to walk, eat and speak again and was left with damaged eyesight and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Crilley was arrested after a police chase through Brisbane's northern suburbs during which he carjacked two people and broke into a home before ramming two police cars.
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