SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO D-I-E 💥 H0RRIFIC NEW COURT DETAILS EMERGE FROM ALLEGED H0PPERS CROSSING HOME INVASION AS BAIL DECISION COMES UNDER INTENSE SCRUTINY
A court has heard chilling new details about how an alleged rapist threatened to kill an innocent woman as he assaulted her inside her Melbourne home.
Timothy Richards, 39, had only just been released on bail and today a court denied his bid for freedom after he had been charged with two counts of rape, aggravated burglary and threat to kill.
A Melbourne court heard on Saturday that Richards was armed with a knife when he allegedly stormed his way through a woman’s front door in Hoppers Crossing while she was home alone.
As she pleaded with him, he allegedly remarked, “Shut up, b**ch. Shut up, s**t. I will kill you if you make a noise”, the court was told.
Richards is then accused of raping her twice.
He left and hours later, police say he attempted to abduct a woman at a bus stop.
“Do you want a boyfriend?”, he allegedly asked.
She replied “no” before Richards grabbed her by her arm, saying, “Come on, let’s go for a walk. You’re coming with me”, the court heard.
The woman managed to escape, but the next day he allegedly pursued another victim, a staff member at a Hoppers Crossing primary school.
He is accused of following her into a classroom, putting her head into a headlock and raping her.
Richards made a bid for freedom on Saturday, police opposing the bail request.
Detective Senior Constable Aiden Verdun told the court Richards was allegedly “involved in a terrifying attack on a vulnerable victim in the safety of her own home,” adding her “sense of security was violated”.
The court heard Richards has a 22-page criminal history and was already on three counts of bail.
When officers arrested him on Friday afternoon, he allegedly changed his appearance by shaving his head and removing an eyebrow piercing.
The magistrate sided with police refusing bail, saying if convicted, Richards will face a substantial sentence.
