A decision has yet to be made on whether a man accused of raping a 90-year-old woman in a nursing home will face upgraded charges over her death 13 days later. A lawyer for the Office of the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions indicated in Gosford Local Court on Friday it was still uncertain if the case would end up in the Supreme Court following the woman’s death. Brett Anthony Crawford, 34, allegedly broke into a Central Coast aged care facility between 12.30am and 12.41am on November 15 and attacked the elderly woman in her room. The woman suffered serious injuries and was rushed to hospital after raising the alarm with staff. She died 13 days after the attack. Crawford, from The Entrance, who is in custody and did not have to appear from jail on the audio-visual link screen in court, is charged with aggravated breaking and entering to commit a serious indictable offence when using violence, inflicting actual bodily harm with intent to have sexual intercourse, and two counts of aggravated sexual assault. He has not been charged over the woman’s death at this stage. If no charges are laid over the woman’s death, the case will be dealt with in the District Court. Magistrate Jennifer Price, who noted in court documents that the case was a “significant and complex matter”, adjourned proceedings to April 12 after being told a police brief of evidence against Crawford had only partially been completed. Ms Price also agreed to an ODPP application for a non-publication order on the elderly victim’s name. The magistrate said the woman’s death and the circumstances surrounding the way she died had caused a great deal of distress to her family. Ms Price said the elderly victim had been a very private person, as was her family who did not want her name revealed in order to protect her dignity. The non-publication order will stand for at least five years unless challenged in the higher courts. Following Crawford’s arrest on November 20 at Caves Beach where he allegedly jumped a fence before being caught, sex crimes squad commander Jayne Doherty said the elderly woman had been left traumatised after the attack and suffered arm, leg and head injuries. She said officers believed the woman’s cries for help had been muffled by bedding, and alleged her attacker had pinned her to the bed and sexually assaulted her. Nationals MP Bronnie Taylor revealed under parliamentary privilege after the woman had died that Crawford had been released last February after serving 10 years in jail for a similar crime. Ms Taylor said Crawford, then known as Brett Ralph, had been told to leave a house party before later breaking in and raping a woman at knifepoint. She said Crawford stabbed the woman in the face after raping her.
