Alfred Gerard Eravelly, 50, was arrested last year in Australia, 20 years after a crime he committed when he was there as an aviation student.
He will now have to serve a minimum of 11 years behind bars.
A court had on April 11 this year found him guilty on sexual assault and burglary charges.
The court had earlier heard how Eravelly, with a stocking over his head, broke into his victim’s home in Scarborough in the early hours of March 9, 1996, tied her up and repeatedly raped her at knifepoint.
Police identified him based on DNA evidence that was only analysed later but eventually led to his arrest.
Eravelly was charged with five counts of aggravated sexual penetration without consent and one count each of burglary, unlawful detention and unlawful wounding.
During the trial, the prosecution informed the court that Eravelly lived less than 2km away from the victim at the time of the offence.
According to Australian Associated Press (AAP), Eravelly told detectives in interviews after his arrest that he had dated the woman and tied her up as part of kinky, consensual sex.
He also admitted to police that he was once a peeping Tom and often fantasised about breaking into the home of the woman he watched and raping her.
Eravelly made this confession only after those interrogating him agreed to turn off their video camera, news portal Perth Now reported. He also told police, after heavy questioning, that he did not enjoy carrying out his fantasy.
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