A man from a high-profile Melbourne family has been found guilty of raping a woman by impersonating her boyfriend. The verdict was delivered by a jury in the Victorian County Court on Friday after less than two days of deliberation.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted of two counts of digital rape. The incident occurred at his Melbourne home in the early hours of 14 January 2024, after the victim had consensual sex with her boyfriend at the same property.
Prosecutors said the boyfriend left the house via Uber around 2am, but the offender lied, telling the woman her boyfriend's Uber had been cancelled and he would return. The offender then entered the dark bedroom and pretended to be her boyfriend before assaulting her.
In the aftermath, the man doctored an Uber receipt to suggest the boyfriend left after 2.30am. He admitted forgery but claimed he panicked after being falsely accused. Crown prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams told the jury the man told a series of lies to deflect blame.
Defence barrister David Hallowes SC argued the woman's mind might have played tricks on her. However, the jury accepted the victim's clear and consistent evidence. The man slumped in his seat with his head in his hands as the verdicts were read, while his mother cried in court.
