Austin Powers actor guilty of torture

Los Angeles - The actor who played Dr Evil's henchman, Random Task, in spy spoof film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery may face life in prison for taking part in a brutal abduction and gang rape.

Joseph Hyungmin Son, 40, was convicted last week of raping and torturing a 20-year-old woman in 1990, according to a Los Angeles TV station.

The victim was reportedly walking her dog on Christmas Eve near her home in Huntington Beach, California, when Son and an accomplice abducted her at gun point. Son was accused of repeatedly raping the woman, sexually assaulting her with the gun then releasing her naked with her pants tied around her eyes.

15 years-to-life

A Santa Ana jury found Son guilty of one felony count of torture stemming from his arrest on October 7, 2008 on an outstanding warrant, reports E! News. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years-to-life in state prison when he is sentenced on September 9.

The District Atorney's spokesperson Farrah Emami explained to E! News why the prosecutors went after the torture charge.

"We didn't proceed on the sexual assault charges based on the statute of limitations," she said. "So the sexual assault charges were not taken before a jury so the only count he was found guilty of was torture."

Although the crime took place years before Son appeared in the 1997 Austin Powers movie, it wasn't until 2008 that DNA evidence linked him to the attack.