Ski instructor Matthew Williams faces up to 25 years for rape, assaults

Matthew James Williams. Photo / Facebook

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A British ski instructor who punched and bit a woman on the breast while violently raping her in the street after punching and kicking her male friend to the ground, faces up to 25 years in prison.

Matthew James Williams, 29, who has pleaded guilty, committed the vicious rape and horrific assaults in the middle of last year's ski season in Jindabyne near the NSW Snowy Mountains.

The injuries to his victims, which included a broken nose, broken eye socket and full-body bruising, were so serious police originally thought more than one attacker was involved.

Williams, who is incarcerated in Goulburn maximum security prison, was in Australia on a temporary visa working as a ski-cross and alpine racing teacher at the world famous Blue Cow Perisher Ski Resort at the time of the attacks.

The following day, Williams told fellow instructors who noticed his injured hand from punching the victims that he'd "had a rough, rough night".

His excuse to his supervisor had been he'd banged his wrist while skiing.

Later when his smartphone was found at the scene of the crime, he claimed he'd been attacked on his way home by two men.

It was 1am on a night last July when Williams accosted the couple after they left Banjo Paterson Inn to head home.

The pair, who had been drinking with family and friends at the pub and had taken MDMA, had walked up Jindabyne's main street, Kosciuszko Road.

Williams, who had also been drinking at the inn, followed them up the street for one kilometre.

The male later told the police he heard footsteps behind them and when he turned he saw Williams approaching and asked him: "How's it going, mate?"

The man said Williams did not reply, but instead came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

When the man turned around, Williams punched him in the face.

After the man fell to the ground, Williams kicked him and he lost consciousness.

Williams then punched the woman causing her to also fall to the ground.

Screaming in fear, she said to Williams: "What do you want? I'll give you money. Take what you want."

Matthew James Williams, 29, was working as a ski instructor at Perisher. Photo / Facebook

She told police Williams just laughed at her and punched her face several times as she tried to fight him off.

She then lost consciousness and when she came to, Williams was straddling her, sitting on her waist and pinning her arms to the ground.

She struggled to get free and Williams punched her several more times in the face and then aggressively removed her shirt and bra.

Williams then bit the woman's breast and was forcibly removing her pants when the male victim regained consciousness.

He later recalled seeing Williams with his pants down moving up and down on top of the woman and trying to kiss her.

When the man got up to try and help her, Williams punched him to the ground for a second time and again began kicking him.

Williams returned to the woman and raped her, punching her several more times as she struggled to escape him.

Lying on the ground conscious, the male victim saw the headlights of a car on Kosciuszko Road and managed to get up.

He ran into the road to try and flag down the car, causing Williams at this point to flee the scene.

A passer-by helped the couple.

The woman was treated for serious bruising to her face, head, arms and legs, abrasions and sexual assault injuries.

The male victim had a broken nose, broken eye socket and severe bruising.

Police investigating the attack found among the items strewn around the crime scene a smartwatch - later identified as belonging to Williams - which had fallen off during the attack.

Images of him approaching the couple were later retrieved from CCTV. DNA testing also identified Williams as the attacker.

One of Williams' co-workers at Blue Cow Perisher told police she had noticed he looked upset and when she asked what was wrong, he replied, "I had a rough, rough night last night."

Another co-worker noticed his left hand was injured and he had trouble putting on his ski gloves.

Williams later put in a report to his employer claiming it was a skiing injury.

Before removing his biography from its website, the Perisher resort had described Williams as a "highly experienced and knowledgeable" teacher, who had been working at its snow school since 2014.

"Matt is one of the most versatile members on the team and has proved himself time and time again coaching ski-cross and alpine racing," the biography read.

Five days after the attack police arrested Williams, who at first denied any knowledge of the attack, claiming his watch had been stolen from him by two men as he walked home.

They charged him with aggravated sexual assault, inflicting actual bodily harm with intent to have sexual intercourse with another and possess prohibited drug.

He was refused bail and remanded in custody.

Williams pleaded guilty to all charges last month, the plea earning him the possibility of a discount when he is sentenced in the NSW District Court in Goulburn in August.

District Court judge Robyn Tupman ordered victim's impact statements and a psychiatric evaluation of Williams, whose family may travel from the UK to Australia for the hearing.

Under the NSW Crimes Act, a person who has sexual intercourse without consent and intentionally or recklessly inflicts actual bodily harm on the victim or another person nearby incurs a maximum sentence of life, or 25 years.

Williams will be deported back to the UK after serving his sentence.