Judge defends Tinder troll over rape comments

  • 29/07/2016
Zane Alchin arriving at  Downing Centre court in Sydney (AAP)
Zane Alchin arriving at Downing Centre court in Sydney (AAP)

Warning: Article contains content that may disturb.

A Sydney judge has defended a man who made vicious misogynistic comments online, saying the backlash he faced caused him "a great deal of pain" that he "didn't deserve".

Zane Alchin pleaded guilty to using a carrier service to menace, harass and cause offence in relation to the online abuse.

"The best thing about feminists is they don't get action, so when you rape them it's 100 times tighter," was one of the abusive comments he was charged for.

The 25-year-old also told one woman, "I'd rape you if you were better looking", and "It's people like you who make it clear women should never have been given rights".

Alchin was sentenced on Friday (local time) to a 12-month good behaviour bond and will not face any jail time, despite the offence carrying a maximum of three years' imprisonment.

He launched the online attacks after one of his friends shared the Tinder profile of Olivia Melville, which included the Drake lyric: "Type of girl that will suck you dry and then eat some lunch with you".

Judge defends Tinder troll over rape comments

Magistrate William Pierce appeared to criticise Ms Melville in his judgement, describing her Tinder bio as an "inflammatory comment of a sexual nature".

He also said Alchin had "already paid for [the crime] big time" due to the outraged comments he received online in response to his vulgar slurs.

Magistrate Pierce described the abusive comments made to Alchin as a "vast overreaction" that caused him "a great deal of pain which you didn't deserve".

Bizarrely, the judge also compared Alchin's abusive comments and the backlash to a sports match.

"My view is the closest analogy is a game of football," he said.

"If you're on the football field you consent to a few bumps. You don't consent to being king-hit with savage right hook that knocks you out for 10 minutes."

Ms Melville came face-to-face with Alchin for the first time in court today and says he didn't apologise or look remorseful.

Her friend Paloma Brierley Newton, who formed a group called Sexual Violence Won't Be Silenced and campaigned against Alchin, said the judge's comments were an "absolute slap in the face" to Australian women.

"The fact that he said that raping a feminist was better because they're 100 times tighter is disgusting. The fact that he can get away with saying that because he had half a bottle of bourbon ... is disgusting," says Ms Brierley Newton.

"You cannot spew this kind of vitriol. You cannot start attacking women because it makes you feel like a man, because you look like a pig.

"All I've seen him do is flip the bird at the media. All I've seen him do is attack the media, incite the media. All I've seen him do today is stare me down every single second he got the opportunity."

Ms Melville told media she is pleased Alchin was convicted and that the lengthy ordeal is finally over.

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