> he grabbed a 26-year-old woman from behind as she was jogging along the merri creek trail, in melbournes inner north, in december 2019. > russo dragged the woman into the creek and held her head under water, repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting her over two-and-a-half hours. > the woman eventually convinced russo to take her somewhere as she was cold, and they walked to a mcdonalds where she called for help. > russo had only been free from prison for four months when he attacked the woman, after serving time for raping a 16-year-old girl near public toilets. > county court judge liz gaynor said he was an extremely dangerous offender and the threat he posed to women cannot be underestimated, as she handed him a minimum of 17 years in jail before he is eligible for parole. > the 30-year-old faced victorias court of appeal by video link from barwon prisons high security unit on tuesday, where his barrister said russos sentence was manifestly excessive.
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