Man faces second sentence for rape

By Rebecca Fraser
A KEYSBOROUGH man twice convicted of raping a 21-year-old woman on his buck’s night outside a Narre Warren nightclub will be sentenced for a second time next month.
Sermet Demiri, 29, was originally sentenced to six years’ jail after being convicted of two counts of rape by a County Court jury in March 2005.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of four years before being eligible for parole. Demiri pleaded not guilty to the rape, which occurred outside the now-closed Brass Monkey nightclub, located at Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, on 3 March, 2003.
He was awarded a retrial this year after he appealed on grounds that the judge gave too much prominence to the victim’s distress and evidence, and witness accounts from security guards.
Demiri also argued that the judge had not given enough prominence to the defence case during his directions to the jury.
He pleaded not guilty in his second trial in August, but was again found guilty in the County Court.
Judge Maryl Sexton will now sentence Demiri on Wednesday, November 1.
Brass Monkey nightclub has changed names and owners, and the venue most recently operated as Furnace nightclub, before closing its doors in April this year.