Peter Norris Dupas: The Ordinary Monster

Dupas Gets the Urge

Charged with loitering with intent and offensive behavior over the Rosebud allegations, the court heard that while psychiatrists at Mont Park were unable to find any gross psychiatric disorders with the 21-year-old Dupas, they did not exclude the possibility of personality problems for him in the future. Dupas was fined $140.

Six months later, at his sentencing for the Nunawading rape of the married woman on November 5, 1973, the judge was not so lenient. County Court Judge John Leckie didn't hold back as he berated Dupas for what he described as one of the most appalling rapes that could possibly be imagined.

"You raped a young married woman who was previously unknown to you in her own home and on her own bed," he told the prisoner. "You invaded the sanctity of her home by a false story about your car breaking down. You threatened her with a knife, you tied her up with a cord, you struck her when she tried to resist and, worst of all, you threatened to harm her baby when she tried to resist.

"Whilst accepting that you are psychologically disturbed," Judge Leckie said, "I believe you were fully responsible for your actions."

And in what would be a fatally accurate prediction, Dr Allen Bartholomew, one of Australia's most experienced forensic psychiatrists, who had examined Dupas while he was in custody, told the court, "I am reasonably certain that this youth has a serious psycho-sexual problem, that he is using the technique of denial as a coping device and he is to be seen as potentially dangerous."

Judge Leckie sentenced Dupas to nine years in jail with a non-parole period of five years.

Jail and attempts at rehabilitation obviously had no affect on Peter Dupas and a little more than two months after his release on September 4, 1979, after serving five years and eight months, he attacked four women over a 10-day period, leaving them psychologically damaged for the rest of their lives. This time he was equipped with what would become his trademark — a knife and a balaclava.

Balaclava facemask

Dupas raped his first victim in a Frankston public toilet block. His next three victims escaped, but one, an elderly woman, was stabbed in the chest as she offered as much resistance as she could muster in an attempt to escape. His attempt at rape foiled, Dupas bolted. The woman told police that as she started getting to her feet after her assailant had run away, she realized that blood was pouring from the left side of her chest. She had been stabbed.

When picked up by police, he confessed to all of the attacks, said that he was glad that he had been caught, and said that he had fled from the last two attempted assaults when the women started screaming. His only explanation for the attacks was that he "gets the urge."

Dupas told arresting officers in a recorded interview, "It just comes over me. I can't help myself. I have had this problem for about six years. It all started again about a year ago. I don't know if it was because me (sic) girlfriend left me or what it is. I just find it hard to mix with people and I haven't many friends. I just don't know what to say."

Dupas was charged with rape, three counts of assault with intent to rape, malicious wounding, indecent assault and assault with intent to rob. Judge Leo Lazarus presided over the case, and when Dupas was found guilty on all counts, the judge shocked the prosecution by handing down what they considered a meager 6½-year sentence with, a five-year non-parole period, despite the fact that it was Dupas' second time around for rape and he was in on considerably more charges than his previous conviction.