A Watson man who tortured and sexually assaulted a drug dealer during a prolonged attack over a $2500 debt has been sentenced to almost seven years jail.
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The victim suffered 27 individual injuries from the attack, including life-threatening head wounds and lacerations.
Anthony Catanzariti, 24, appeared in the ACT Supreme Court for sentence on Thursday, having pleaded guilty to sexual intercourse without consent, forcible confinement, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, threatening grievous bodily harm, and committing acts of indecency.
In July 2012, the court heard Catanzariti and his co-offender, Brian Gregory Walters, took the dealer to Mount Majura.
They walked him into the bush, bound his hands and feet, and then left him, partially hidden by a log, in the dark.
The victim managed to free himself and went to a nearby friend's home.
The next day, the victim was drinking beer and smoking cannabis with friends at a northside unit when Catanzariti, Walters, and a woman burst through the door.
Soon after, Catanzariti punched, slapped and elbowed him in the head.
Walters joined in.
Catanzariti also bashed another man who voiced disapproval at the violence.
Over the following hours, Catanzariti repeatedly beat the man, used heated metal to pierce the man's earlobe, and made him strip naked to use a vacuum cleaner on him indecently and made a dog perform indecent acts on him.
Catanzariti also sexually assaulted him with various items including a beer bottle and threatened to break the man's legs using a cricket bat.
Catanzariti then left Walters, armed with a spear gun, to guard the victim.
The victim bought Walters beer the next morning and went to the police after saying he had a Centrelink appointment.
The court heard a medical examination of the victim revealed he had suffered 27 individual injuries, some life threatening, and included abrasions, lacerations, and bruises to his head, mouth, arms, legs, ear, and anus.
Justice Hilary Penfold described pictures of the wounds, tendered in court, as "confronting".
The judge said the offending had been mid-range, but distinguished by the level of "sheer nastiness".
Catanzariti told a presentence report author that he had not obtained sexual gratification during the attack but had found the offences amusing and committed them to humiliate and degrade the victim.
The court heard he had expressed little remorse and minimised his actions by saying he had used alcohol and drugs at the time.
Justice Penfold found the attack had been premeditated, but the sexual offences had been spur of the moment.
"The use of violence and sexual humiliation by drug dealers to control their recalcitrant sub-contractors cannot be ignored in a civilised community," the judge said.
She sentenced him to six-years-and-eleven-months jail, backdated to take into account time spent in custody, with a non-parole period of four-years-and-nine months.
He will be eligible for release in April 2017.
Justice Penfold warned Catanzariti's future did not look good unless he addressed his drug and anger issues.
