A BENDIGO man who violently raped two women more than 30 years ago is facing a significant jail term for the "predatory and opportunistic" crimes, a County Court judge says.

Rodney Eric Hampton, 58, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to two counts of rape after DNA evidence linked him to the 1988 offending.

Judge Mark Dean said it was clear Hampton - who was 24 years old at the time of the rapes - was acting as a predator when he attacked the two vulnerable young women.

Read more court: No conviction for man who assaulted his pregnant partner

Judge Dean said he hoped the victims had some closure now that the 58-year-old was finally being brought to justice.

The court heard about 1am on January 16, 1988, a 20-year-old woman was walking up View Street in Bendigo after having a night out with friends.

Hampton, who was walking behind her, asked the woman for the time. When she replied that she did not know and continued walking, Hampton grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth.

The woman believed she was going to die when Hampton dragged her to the front yard of a nearby property.

When the woman begged him not to hurt her, Hampton said he wouldn't as long as she did what he said.

Hampton then violently raped the woman as she cried. Hampton ejaculated inside of the woman before getting up and running away.

The woman, who was shaking and crying, returned home and reported the rape to her housemate. She later made a statement to the police, who also obtained forensic medical evidence.

The court heard sometime between 10.30pm and 11pm on March 19, a 16-year-old girl was walking home along Carpenter Street in Spring Gully.

The girl had accidently cut her foot on some broken glass after taking off her shoes.

Hampton drove past in a Ford sedan and offered to give the girl a lift home. She accepted the offer after seeing that the car was empty and there was a baby seat in the back seat.

The court heard Hampton said to the 16-year-old, "you shouldn't be walking like this at this time of night, anything could happen".

He then asked if he could go past his girlfriend's place for a couple of minutes before dropping the 16-year-old off.

Read more court: Man allegedly attacked people in Bendigo, granted bail

The girl said she did not mind so Hampton drove away from the Bendigo CBD, towards Kangaroo Flat.

As they moved further into bushland, the 16-year-old started crying because she was fearful of what might happen.

Hampton pulled over onto a remote dirt track near Diamond Hill Road, where he grabbed the girl and violently raped her.

When she tried to struggle, Hampton told her not to make it worse for herself. Hampton assaulted her for about 10 minutes before he ejaculated onto her body.

He then drove to Violet Street where he left the young girl on the side of the road.

The girl was crying as she went home and told her boyfriend about the rape. She too reported the incident to police and detectives obtained forensic medical evidence.

The court heard police obtained Hampton's DNA in 2018 after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a toddler.

Hampton was then linked to the 1988 crimes and was charged with two counts of rape in November last year.

Statements from the two victims were read to the County Court on Wednesday. The victim of the second rape said Hampton destroyed her life for his own sexual gratification.

The woman said the offending led her down a bad path of drugs and alcohol abuse.

"He has imprisoned me all of these years," she said in her statement. "I didn't think I was believed until the police contacted me last year."

Defence counsel Tom Battersby told the court it was conceded the crimes were "horrific" and the passage of time did not make the rapes less serious.

Read more court: Family violence offender pleads guilty to breaching order

Mr Battersby said Hampton maintained that he could not recall the rapes although he was willing to accept responsibility and plead guilty.

Judge Mark Dean said he found that assertion hard to believe, given the violent and predatory nature of the offences.

Mr Battersby said Hampton was a functional alcoholic at the time of the rapes and regularly used drugs after he was sexually and physically abused as a child.

The defence counsel said Hampton was also married in 1988 with a young child and a second baby on the way, so it was hard to reconcile his personal circumstances with the offending.

Mr Battersby said Hampton's current physical health was good, but he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder which would make his time in custody more difficult.

The defence counsel said it was conceded that Hampton would be jailed for a significant period for the "horrendous" crimes, but the judge should consider the sentencing practices of the 1980s.

The maximum jail term for rape in that decade was 10 years, while that sentence has increased to 25 years in 2021.

Judge Dean said while he would factor in the delay, it was clear that Hampton continued to commit further violent and sexual offences in the past three decades.

The judge said there were also a number of aggravating features in the "violent and predatory" offending, including the increased risk of pregnancy due to Hampton's lack of protection.

Judge Dean said he would only consider a significant jail term for the offending.

The case was adjourned to next week and Hampton was remanded in custody.

If you or someone you know needs support, contact Centre Against Sexual Assault - Central Victoria on 5441 0430 or the Sexual Assault Crisis Line on 1800 806 292.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: