Salt Creek attack: Roman Heinze's father speaks, says son deserves jail

Roman Heinze has been found guilty of crimes against three backpackers. Photo / via Facebook

The father of Australia's Salt Creek kidnapper Roman Heinze has told media his son deserves to be in prison, but denied that he is a monster.

Werner Heinze told Australian TV station Ten he was shocked to discover his son's "nasty" crimes in 2014.

"He has an aggressive, disrespectful and nasty character, but he's no monster," he said.

"I'm shocked he's been convicted. He should pay for it. Jail is where he needs to be."

Roman Heinze in a photo from social media.

Heinze was identified as the man behind the sickening crimes after the South Australian Supreme Court lifted extensive suppression orders earlier this week.

Heinze was convicted of a raft of offences including indecent assault, aggravated causing serious harm, and aggravated kidnapping.

The majority of those crimes were committed against backpackers from Brazil and Germany at Salt Creek in February 2016.

The man tied and sexually assaulted the Brazilian on the beach, and threatened her with a knife.

When the German tried to intervene, the man struck her four times in the head with a hammer and then repeatedly rammed her with his vehicle.

Images shown to the court of the Brazilian backpacker's bikinis, which were slashed off with a knife. Photo / AAP

Heinze pursued a dozen more backpackers on the internet in an escalating pattern of predatory behaviour.

- with Sean Fewster news.com.au