A Perth dentist who spiked the drinks of several young women he met online before raping them will spend more than a decade behind bars.
Farzem Mehrabi, 34, found guilty of 24 charges in September, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a non-parole period of 13 years in Perth District Court on Tuesday.
His sentencing followed a four-week trial in which the court heard evidence that he had committed more than 20 offenses against six women aged between 18 and 22 whom he had met on dating apps in 2022.
Mehrabi strongly denied the allegations despite being caught on CCTV adding MDMA and methamphetamine to one of his victim’s glasses of water.
Seven women lodged complaints against Mehrabi, who was found guilty of rape, indecent assault, strangulation, stupefaction and supplying prohibited drugs.
The court heard that Mehrabi had lied to the women about his age and living situation, telling them he was 24 instead of 31 and that he lived with an older couple who were family friends, when in fact he lived with his parents.
Judge Troy Sweeney said CCTV footage of Mehrabi adding a drink was “damning” and a clear example of how “emboldened” he had become.
“As a beautiful, educated and promising dentist, soon to be surgeon, you believed you had the right to live this way,” Judge Sweeney said in her ruling.
The 34-year-old dentist was sentenced to 15 years in prison with a non-parole period of 13 years.
The woman who was caught being attacked on CCTV was the first to come forward with allegations against the dentist.
As the couple traveled home in their Jaguar, the woman panicked as the effects of the drugs began to take effect and jumped out of the car to seek help from nearby security guards.
Another woman recalled waking up in Mehrabi’s bed one morning with no memory of the night before despite having only four drinks, the court heard.
He found bruises, scratches and abrasions on her body and marks around her neck.
Others said they drank alcohol in Mehrabi’s backyard and began to feel nauseous, and hair tests revealed that some had unknowingly consumed MDMA.
“It shows a complete lack of respect and a complete willingness to manipulate and control another person,” Judge Sweeney said.
“Each of the victims who returned home intoxicated and affected by drugs, consumed voluntarily or unknowingly, were left vulnerable because they were at home in a state in which their judgment and physical independence were completely compromised, and that was deliberate on your part.
Mehrabi was a third-year medical student at the University of Notre Dame studying to become a surgeon at the time of his crime.
Mehrabi (pictured) was a third-year medical student at the University of Notre Dame studying to become a surgeon at the time of his crime.
CCTV (pictured) played in court showed Mehrabi mixing a substance into a woman’s drink while she was in the bathroom.
Judge Sweeney said Mehrabi was “embarrassed” to live with his parents at their home in Shelley, south of Perth, so he described himself as “successful, professional, wealthy, polished and interesting”.
He said Mehrabi’s actions had become so “self-absorbed” that he did not stop offending even after two of his victims showed clear signs of distress.
“(It) did not moderate his behavior, because he was all about you and your needs,” the judge said.
“You deceived the young girls into surreptitiously giving MDMA in a very controlling move on your part and without regard for them.”
Seven women filed complaints about Mehrabi and he was found guilty of sexual assault charges against five of them along with other drug charges and one count of impeding a person’s breathing by applying pressure to the neck.
He was acquitted of a charge of trafficking in alcoholic beverages.
Mehrabi testified that the drug use and sex were consensual, but the jury found him to be an unreliable witness with a history of telling lies, including about his age, height and whether he lived with his parents on dating apps.