Violent Melbourne rapist jailed for torture of Dutch backpacker, 21, he kept as sex slave for six weeks

Alfio Anthony Granata, 47, beat his victim with household items and carved a cross into her forehead

Alfio Anthony Granata in court

A sadistic drug addict who kept a Dutch backpacker captive in a hotel room where he violently raped and beat her has been jailed for 17 years.

Alfio Anthony Granata carved a cross into the forehead of his victim, then 21, with a knife and told her she was marked for death during the six week ordeal in a Melbourne hotel room in 2012.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty to nine counts of rape and charges of theft, threats to kill and intentionally causing serious injury that left his victim with 54 bruises and abrasions.

In the County Court of Victoria, in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday, Judge Frank Gucciardo said Granata's behaviour was vile and repulsive and had dehumanised his victim.

He must serve at least 13 years behind bars before being eligible for parole.

“The victim was in constant pain. She was degraded and humiliated,” Judge Gucciardo said.

The backpacker was held at the Rydges Bell City hotel in Melbourne for six weeks (Google Maps)

At one point during the ordeal in November and December the victim was beaten so badly she was unable to see or eat.

She was whipped with a mobile phone charger, which left lacerations and ripped her skin off, and she was raped with household items and told she would be killed.

On one occasion Granata, an ice addict since 2008, took the victim and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Peaston by the hair and smashed their heads together, causing the 21-year-old's nose to break.

Ice is a stimulant and a type of methamphetamine which is generally stronger and more addictive than the powder form of the drug, known as speed.

The court heard Granata filmed his crimes and at least seven cameras were installed inside the hotel room and bathroom at the Rydges Bell City hotel in Melbourne.

Judge Gucciardo described Granata's actions as “akin to torture over a protracted period”.

Over the course of about six weeks the victim was forced to perform oral sex on Granata, was strangled, stabbed and cut.

Granata conducted a ritual that involved putting a photograph of the victim into an envelope along with her hair, nail clippings and blood, telling her the act symbolised her being no more.

He said all that would be left of the victim was what was in the envelope.

Granata was convicted at the Victorian County Court in Melbourne (Getty)

The victim's nightmare came to an end on December 24 when she struck Granata with a knife and began to cut herself until the pair called an ambulance.

The victim was rescued by paramedics and Granata told police the victim was a trouble-maker and he had been drugged by her.

The backpacker initially met Granata and his partner at a mutual friend's birthday party in St Kilda in November 2012.

The three soon became friends and began a consensual sexual relationship but after using copious amounts of the drug ice, Granata became violent and paranoid that his girlfriend and the victim were conspiring to run away together.

The court heard his brutality was born out of suspicion the victim and his girlfriend had been engaging in sex acts together and a desire to punish her.

Defence barrister Peter Chadwick argued during the plea hearing the offending was linked to Granata's two-grams-a-day ice addiction.

Judge Gucciardo said there was no reduced moral culpability because the abuse was ongoing and Granata would have experienced clear moments and periods of lucidity.

He said Granata's remorse was superficial and “very slight indeed”.

In a victim impact statement, the young woman said she had become anxious and depressed and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

She was frequently assailed by memories that left her barely able to function and the injuries inflicted on her remained painful.

Granata, a father of three, was convicted of all charges, including two drugs charges.

He has already served 836 days of pre-sentence detention.