A man from a well-known family has strongly denied accusations that he raped a woman, giving evidence in his own defence at a Victorian County Court trial.
Alleged Assault in Darkened Bedroom
The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape. The alleged incident took place at his Melbourne home in the early hours of January 14, 2024.
The court heard that the woman had consensual sex with her boyfriend at the property. Her boyfriend then ordered an Uber and left just before 2am. Prosecutors allege the accused then lied to the woman, telling her that her boyfriend's Uber had been cancelled and he would be returning upstairs.
It is claimed that a short time later, the accused entered the dark bedroom pretending to be the woman's boyfriend. He is alleged to have digitally raped her. The woman managed to move away and directly asked if he was the accused.
Victim's Attempt to Identify Attacker
The man allegedly claimed he was her boyfriend, then grabbed both her hands and digitally raped her again as she told him to stop. The jury was told the woman freed one hand and felt his hair, noticing it was longer than her boyfriend's. At this point, the man allegedly stopped and fled the room.
Prosecutors state he returned a few minutes later, acting as if nothing had happened and asking the woman if she was okay.
Admission of Forged Evidence
Under cross-examination from the prosecutor, the man repeatedly denied the allegations. "I never went into that room and sexually assaulted (the complainant)," he told the court.
However, the jury heard that the man doctored an Uber receipt in the days following the alleged attack. He altered it to make it appear the victim's boyfriend left the house after 2:30am, not before 2am.
The accused admitted in evidence that he forged the document but denied doing so to evade responsibility for a crime. He claimed he created the fake receipt for a different reason.
The trial, before Judge Gregory Lyon, continues.
Support Services: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028.
