A man from a prominent family is facing serious allegations of rape after reportedly impersonating a friend and attempting to manipulate evidence by altering a rideshare receipt.
The accused has entered a not guilty plea to two charges of rape, with his attorney, David Hallowes SC, asserting to the jury that his client neither committed the sexual assault nor engaged in any deceitful actions.
However, crown prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams presented a different narrative, alleging that the man sexually assaulted the woman at his Melbourne residence in the early hours of January 14, 2024.
The jury learned that the alleged victim, who was in a relationship with a friend of the accused, was invited to the home by the accused’s girlfriend.
After spending some time socializing, the group retired to separate rooms, where the complainant engaged in consensual sex with her boyfriend.
Following this, the boyfriend reportedly arranged for an Uber and departed from the premises shortly before 2 a.m., according to McWilliams.
It’s alleged the accused then went to the woman’s room and said her boyfriend’s Uber had been cancelled and he would be back upstairs soon because he could not get another one.
“None of that was true,” McWilliams told the jury.
It’s alleged the accused returned to the dark bedroom a short time later and pretended to be the woman’s boyfriend.
He allegedly digitally raped her but she managed to move away and ask directly if he was the accused.
The man claimed he was her boyfriend and he allegedly then grabbed both her hands before digitally raping her again while she told him to stop.
She managed to get a hand free and felt his hair, which was longer than her boyfriend’s, and that’s when the man allegedly stopped and ran from the room.
It’s alleged he returned a few minutes later and acted as if nothing had happened, instead asking her if she was OK.
The woman left the house shortly after and immediately reported the incident to her mother and friends.
The jury was told in the days that followed, the accused fabricated an Uber receipt to make it look like the woman’s boyfriend had left his home after 2.30am.
Hallowes conceded his client faked the receipt but told the jury the man had panicked when he was being accused of something he did not do.
The defence barrister told the jury his client did not go into the woman’s bedroom and he did not rape her.
At the start of the trial, Judge Gregory Lyon repeatedly told jurors they should not search any of the names connected to the case or talk to anyone else about the evidence.
He warned if they did so, he would refer them to prosecutors who might then charge them with criminal offences.
Support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028.
