21-year-old Rhian Lee Ryan, who used intimidation, blackmail and physical violence to coerce a teenage girl into sex in 2015, has been jailed for more than five years by a Perth judge.
Ryan, who was 17 at the time of the assault, was a prolific social media user who had described himself as ‘Facebook famous’, and who used the platform to meet and groom young women.
The WA District Court hear that Ryan used the app to befriend a 14-year-old girl, and subsequently convinced her to send him nudes via Snapchat, threatening her if she did not comply.
He saved the images and threatened to publish them if she did not join him at his house. The victim agreed, and was raped and physically assaulted several times before fleeing in the morning as he slept.
Per reports in Perth Now, Rhian Lee Ryan was yesterday found guilty of aggravated rape of a child under 16, assault, threats and deprivation of liberty.
He was already serving a 20-month sentence for a similar offence against a 15-year-old girl, and has pleaded guilty to assaults against three further teenage victims.
Judge Stephen Scott said that his attitude to women was “extraordinarily disgusting”, and that his actions would have a profound and long-lasting impact on the young women.
Ryan will be behind bars until 2023.
