CHEF STEVEN OSBOURNE RECEIVED 12-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE FOR BRUTAL RAPE AND ASSAULT
A man identified as Steven Osbourne, a chef, was convicted of three counts of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm after subjecting a man to a brutal sexual assault.The court heard that Osbourne lured the victim to his bedsit on Windsor Street, New Brighton, after exchanging messages on Grindr.
Immediately upon entering, he forcefully pushed the man onto the bed, threatened to cut his throat, and raped him while calling him his "b****." Osbourne then made strange car noises and bit the victim's chest before raping him two more times.
The victim only escaped when the landlord, who lived nearby, was alerted about smoking issues and intervened.
The victim later described feeling contaminated, tested negative for HIV but contracted chlamydia, and expressed profound distress, stating: "I feel like I can't look at my own reflection.
In the bath, I use Dettol as I'm constantly feeling dirty." The court also learned that Osbourne had previous convictions for assault causing actual bodily harm in 2016 involving detaining a partner against her will, which he shouted about during the trial.
Osbourne displayed foul language in court, including calling the victim a "f***ing rat" as he was removed from the dock.
The judge sentenced him to 12 years in prison with an additional five years on licence, imposing a lifelong restraining order, sexual harm prevention order, and registration as a sex offender for life.
The judge commented on Osbourne's lack of insight and pattern of violent, manipulative, and controlling behavior, emphasizing that he would serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for release.
