Riverhead quarry attacker, rapist to be sentenced today

Colin Jack Mitchell Colin Mitchell giving evidence in the High Court at Auckland.

The man found guilty of abducting, wounding and assaulting a 23-year-old woman at a West Auckland quarry, and of a historic unsolved rape will be sentenced today.

Colin Jack Mitchell is facing an indefinite prison sentence, with the Crown set to make an application for preventive detention.

On March 2, following a 12-day trial, Mitchell was found guilty of six charges relating to two sexually motivated attacks 25 years apart.

In 2017 Mitchell kidnapped a young woman walking home from the annual pride parade in Ponsonby.

He drove her to a quarry in Riverhead and assaulted her, with an intent to sexually violate her, and threatened to kill her.

He was also found guilty of raping a woman in May 1992 - a crime that he was tried for after DNA evidence found in the quarry attack linked him to a historic sex crime.

Mitchell denied all of the offending.

He said the 1992 case was linked to him because he had "consensual sex" with the victim.

And he argued that the offender responsible for the 2017 attack simply was not him.

At least one of Mitchell's victims is expected to read a statement in court.

The scene of an alleged attack on a woman by Colin Jack Mitchell at a quarry in Riverhead

Justice Sally Fitzgerald will then hand down her sentence.

Mitchell has served time for sexual offending previously.

He was sent to prison for five years after raping a 19-year-old in 1984.

The Herald will be reporting from the High Court at Auckland on this morning's proceedings.