Northern Territory Supreme Court trial of two men accused of sexual assault after picking up intoxicated woman
Consensus Summary
Two men, Panormitis Charalampis and Michael Vrouvis, were accused of sexually assaulting a woman they picked up while she waited for an Uber outside Darwin’s Mayberry nightclub on January 14 2024. Both pleaded not guilty, with the defence arguing the sexual encounters were consensual and the woman was not too intoxicated to consent. The prosecution contended the woman was severely drunk, with blood alcohol levels between 0.1 and 0.15, and unable to give meaningful consent. CCTV footage showed the woman leaving the nightclub at 3:30am and being picked up by the men, who then took her to her apartment where they remained for over eight hours. The woman’s testimony described fragmented memory and feeling 'in no control whatsoever,' while the men testified she initiated sexual activity. After a two-week trial, the jury acquitted both men unanimously, concluding there was reasonable doubt about whether the woman was incapable of consenting due to her intoxication. The defence highlighted inconsistencies in the woman’s memory and behaviour, including walking naked and sharing a cigarette with the men, suggesting her account may have been influenced by regret rather than a clear recollection of non-consensual acts.
✓ Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Panormitis Charalampis and Michael Vrouvis were charged with four counts each of sexual intercourse without consent in the Northern Territory Supreme Court
- The incident occurred on January 14, 2024, after the woman left Mayberry nightclub in Darwin’s CBD at approximately 3:30am
- The woman ordered an Uber but was picked up by the two men, who she believed were her Uber drivers, and taken to her apartment block
- CCTV footage shows the woman leaving Mayberry at 3:30am and being picked up by the men outside the nightclub
- The woman’s blood alcohol concentration was estimated between 0.1 and 0.15 when she reached her apartment block with the men
- The trial lasted approximately two weeks, with closing arguments delivered by Crown Prosecutor Rebecca Everitt and defence lawyers James Stuchbery, Beth Wild, and Stephen Robson SC
- The jury deliberated for nearly seven hours before delivering a unanimous not-guilty verdict on all charges
- The woman’s name has been suppressed to protect her identity
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Prosecutor Rebecca Everitt argued the woman was 'crawling and falling out of a car, laying on the ground, unable to walk without being carried by two men'
- Defence lawyer Beth Wild suggested the woman 'couldn’t distinguish between memory gaps and passing out' and that her lack of memory 'is not enough to establish her incapacity to consent'
- Defence lawyer James Stuchbery and Beth Wild argued the woman 'formed a false reality' about the night and may have 'regretted' the night and 'conceived a different narrative'
- Crown prosecutor Rebecca Everitt pointed to expert witness Jane Goodman-Delahunty’s determination that the woman’s alcohol levels were between 0.2 and 0.1 when she arrived at the apartment with the men
- Defence lawyer Beth Wild stated the case was 'not a straightforward tale of predatory Uber drivers' but rather 'a man who thought he had a nice moment with a beautiful woman'
- Michael Vrouvis’s barrister, Stephen Robson SC, disputed the prosecution’s claim the woman remained 'incapable of giving consent' at about 8am
- The defence argued the woman initiated sexual activity, with Panormitis Charalampis testifying she 'grabbed his arm and pulled out my private parts'
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Article 1 states the woman’s alcohol levels were between 0.2 and 0.1 when she arrived at the apartment, while Article 2 and 3 state the levels were between 0.1 and 0.15
- Article 1 reports the woman’s blood alcohol concentration was 'between 0.2 and 0.1' (likely a typo for 0.2 and 0.15), while Article 2 and 3 report it as 'between 0.1 and 0.15'
- Article 1 describes the woman as 'in and out of consciousness' and 'unable to walk without being carried by two men,' while Article 2 does not explicitly state she was carried but shows CCTV of her falling out of the car
- Article 1 states the woman ‘was crawling and falling out of a car, laying on the ground,’ while Article 2 does not include this specific description of her condition
- Article 1 reports the defence lawyer Beth Wild argued the woman ‘couldn’t distinguish between memory gaps and passing out,’ but Article 3 does not mention this specific argument
Source Articles
Jury clears men accused of raping intoxicated woman waiting for an Uber
Two men accused of raping a young woman they picked up while she waited for an Uber have been acquitted on all charges by a Northern Territory jury....
Man accused of raping woman in her apartment testifies 'she wasn't that drunk'
Panormitis Charalampis, co-accused of picking up an intoxicated young woman from outside a nightclub while she was waiting for an uber and sexually assaulting her at her apartment, took the stand, und...
Trial of two men accused of rape in Darwin hears closing arguments
The jury in the trial of two men accused of picking up a young woman waiting for an Uber after a night out and raping her in her home has heard closing submissions....