A Malaysian commercial airline pilot has been convicted for a rape that took place in Australia in 1996, when he was a student there.

Alfred Gerard Eravelly, now 50, was found guilty of five counts of aggravated sexual penetration without consent and a count each for burglary, unlawful detention and unlawful wounding.

Eravelly allegedly threatened his victim with a knife during the assault.

He was arrested after flying into Sydney last year and was sent to Perth for trial in a Western Australia District Court.

The trial lasted six days. Sentencing will be delivered on June 22.

According to media reports, Eravelly broke into the home of the victim in 1996, tied her up, sexually assaulted her, leaving behind his DNA.

His DNA was analysed and this led to his arrest.

Western Australian newspaper Perth Now reported that prosecutor Sean Dworcan in his opening address to the court last week said Eravelly had lived two kilometres away from the victim.

Dworcan said Eravelly was a Peeping Tom and had observed the victim through a window. However, the accused claimed that he had dated the woman and tied her up as part of consensual sex.

Eravelly's lawyer, Tom Percy, said his client, a father of two, had met the victim at a bar in Leederville and had a brief consensual sexual relationship with her.

It turned sour after the aviation student tried to blackmail her for cash and threatened to tell the victim's boyfriend.