Melbourne businessman on trial for alleged rape of former personal assistant in 2023
Consensus Summary
A high-profile Melbourne businessman is on trial for allegedly raping his former personal assistant twice in March 2023 at his home. The woman, then 27 years old, claims she was drinking and taking cocaine with the accused before he raped her after she rejected his advances. She allegedly punched him in the face and called him a rapist before contacting her mother, who called police in the early hours of March 24, 2023. The accused has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer has questioned the woman’s credibility, citing prior false allegations. The trial, expected to last about two weeks, involves disputes over the timeline of events, including whether the woman stayed at the accused’s home in late 2022 and whether cocaine was involved earlier. Prosecutors allege the accused made repeated sexual advances before the incident, while the defence denies any wrongdoing and claims the woman fabricated the allegations.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The alleged rape occurred in March 2023 at the accused man’s home
- Police arrived at the man’s home in the early hours of March 24, 2023, after the woman contacted them
- The accused businessman pleaded not guilty to two charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault
- The woman accused the man of raping her twice after she allegedly told him 'I don’t want this' and he responded with 'You’re so sexy' and 'I can’t stop'
- The woman allegedly punched the accused in the face after the incident and called him a 'rapist'
- The woman worked as the man’s personal assistant in 2022 before the alleged incident
- The trial is expected to last about two weeks
- The woman was a 27-year-old at the time of the alleged incident
- The accused man’s lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, argued there are 'massive issues' with the woman’s credibility and reliability
- The woman texted her mother after the alleged incident, who then contacted police
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The accused man hired the complainant as his personal assistant in 2022, and the alleged rape occurred months later in his bedroom after a night of drinking and cocaine use
- The defence claims the woman made false allegations against a police officer in the past
- The trial is before Judge Frank Gucciardo
- The woman allegedly spent an evening drinking and taking cocaine with the man at his friend’s home before the incident
- The woman allegedly said to the accused, 'If I let you do this, if I let you fuck me, you will never respect me as your employee' after previous advances
- The woman allegedly raised the issue of 'recompense' with her mother while still at the accused’s house after the incident
- The 35-minute police conversation with the woman was expected to be shown to the jury
- The woman first met the accused in 2022 after contacting him about working for him while studying
- The accused allegedly tried to kiss the woman in August 2022, and their working relationship ceased in November 2022 after further alleged sexual advances
- The woman allegedly got into the accused’s bed in August 2022 after taking cocaine and claimed she did not want to be alone while coming off drugs
- The accused allegedly pulled the woman from a lounge onto his bed in March 2023, telling her he would 'take care of her' before the alleged rape
- The woman allegedly stayed at the accused’s house after the incident, telling him she was exhausted and later wanted to 'fix this'
- The accused allegedly masturbated in front of her after the incident, and she slammed the door before texting her mother
- The woman took a call from an officer at 3:40 am on March 24, 2023, before letting police into the house
- The defence claims the woman never stayed at the accused’s house in October or November 2022 and denies providing her cocaine
- Support line (1800RESPECT) on 1800 737 732 was mentioned for victims
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The ABC and Guardian mention the woman was punched in the face by the accused after the alleged rape, but the Guardian specifies she punched him first, while the ABC does not clarify the order
- The Guardian and The Age describe the woman as having previously made false allegations against police, but The Age does not explicitly state this was the same allegation referenced by the defence in court
- The Age claims the woman got into the accused’s bed in August 2022 after taking cocaine, while the ABC and Guardian do not mention this earlier incident involving cocaine or bed-sharing
- The Guardian states the woman was reluctant to involve police initially, while The Age says she was initially reluctant to speak to police but later let them into the house
- The Age specifies the woman took a call from an officer at 3:40 am on March 24, 2023, but the ABC and Guardian only mention police arriving in the early hours of March 24, 2023, without a specific time
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