A jury has found a terminally ill Melbourne man guilty of raping a Thai sex worker in an inner-north flat more than four years ago.
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Justice Richard Refshauge faces a complicated sentencing process given 57-year-old Robert Phillip Dick's medical condition and ''severely limited'' life expectancy.
An ACT Supreme Court jury took about six hours to find Dick guilty on two counts of having sexual intercourse without consent and one charge of committing an act of indecency.
The charges stem from mid-2007 when the victim had arrived from Thailand to work in the sex industry.
She lived and worked in the flat, servicing 10 or more clients a day, and allegedly had a portion of her earnings taken to cover a debt.
The jury found yesterdayshe was also subjected to sexual assaults by Dick, who on one occasion penetrated her with a sex toy against her will.
The victim told the court she resisted both physically and verbally in Thai and her limited English.
Dick was a friend of the registered ''sole operator'' sex worker whose name was on the lease, and said he would act as a ''minder'' or ''caretaker'' when the woman was away.
A fellow sex worker said Dick would exert authority over the woman.
''[I got that impression] from what he ordered, like I'm the boss, you have to listen to me, if I tell you to sit, you have to sit, if I tell you to stand, you have to stand,'' the witness said.
The former tiling contractor is now facing a maximum penalty of 12 years on each of the rape charges and seven years on the act of indecency charge.
But defence barrister Ray Livingston said ''my understanding is that [his life expectancy] is severely limited''.
In 2009 Dick was diagnosed with myelodysplasia, a condition which left him emaciated and requiring regular blood transfusions.
A jury trial was aborted last year because of the defendant's health.
''You'd appreciate that ordinarily convictions for offences of this kind will result in lengthy prison sentences,'' Justice Refshauge said yesterday.
''Whether that is to be imposed is obviously problematic and I couldn't possibly make a decision without medical evidence.''
During the trial Dick's defence team argued their client could not have performed the alleged acts because the onset of his illness had rendered him impotent.
But the sickness was not diagnosed until 2009, and prosecutor Kylie Weston-Scheuber pointed out Dick told police he was sexually active months after the offences.
