A BODY piercer, who sexually assaulted a teenage girl and a young woman while running his business in Armidale, will spend an extra two years behind bars after the prosecution slammed his sentence as "plainly unjust".
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James McKenzie has had his sentence upped from six years without parole to eight years, for sexually assaulting five women between the ages of 15 and 20 across the year from March 2018 to April 2019.
He was in his mid-thirties and trading under the name 'Jimmy Jam Piercer Man' when he assaulted three teenagers at his Port Macquarie studio before setting up shop in Armidale and assaulting another teenage girl and a young woman.
McKenzie gave a 15-year-old girl the drug ice, illegally pierced her nipples and photographed her naked. He paid her for sex with the drug ice instead of cash.
He was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse, as well as several further offences, relating to the girl.
He also faced two counts of indecent assault, as well as other charges, after a 20-year-old woman went to the Armidale home where he was conducting business for a piercing, and was assaulted.
She made a police report after reading about McKenzie's arrest in the media.
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Prosecutors lodged a successful appeal on the grounds that the total sentence handed down in the district court in October last year, of 10 years with six years non-parole, was "manifestly inadequate" and "plainly unjust".
The Crown submitted the total sentence originally handed down had failed to address the distinct offending against each of the five victims.
Three judges in the NSW Criminal Court of Appeal found no legal error had been made but a different calculation should have been used.
They reached the majority decision earlier this month to up McKenzie's sentence to a total of 12 years imprisonment with eight years non-parole.
Court documents show McKenzie had met each of his young victims when they had approached his business about body piercings.
"In most instances the victims were in vulnerable positions," Justice Natalie Adams said in her decision.
"The victim impact statements reflect that the impact on the respondent's multiple victims was profound."
She agreed with the district court's finding of special circumstances due to McKenzie's mental health issues, his difficulties remaining drug free and the fact it was his first time in custody.
McKenzie was set to front a trial but entered a late guilty plea to eight serious charges and 12 further offences were taken into account.
Court documents show he was an ice addict and had been described by a doctor as a narcissist at the time of the offending.
His father had told the court McKenzie's American accent and the appearance he was well-travelled meant he was able to impress the younger people he "befriended".
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