Two men acquitted of raping intoxicated woman picked up from Darwin nightclub
Consensus Summary
Two men, Panormitis Charalampis and Michael Vrouvis, were acquitted of raping a woman they picked up while she waited for an Uber outside Mayberry nightclub in Darwin on January 14 2024. The woman, in her 20s, had been drinking heavily at multiple bars and was found by the men sitting on the curb at 3:30am. CCTV footage showed her struggling to walk and needing assistance, with her blood alcohol concentration estimated between 0.1 and 0.15 when she reached her apartment. Prosecutors argued she was too intoxicated to consent, while the defence claimed the sexual encounters were consensual and the woman may have regretted the night later. The jury deliberated for nearly seven hours before acquitting both men, with the defence highlighting inconsistencies in the womanâs memory and behaviour. The case hinged on whether her intoxication rendered her incapable of consent or if her fragmented memory created reasonable doubt. The acquittal was met with emotional reactions from the menâs families, who celebrated the verdict as justice being done.
â 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 Darwinâs CBD at around 3:30am
- The woman ordered an Uber but was picked up by Charalampis and Vrouvis outside the nightclub and taken to her apartment
- CCTV footage shows the woman crawling and falling out of the car, needing assistance to walk, and being carried by the men
- The womanâs blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was estimated between 0.1 and 0.15 when she reached her apartment block
- The trial lasted seven days, with both men pleading not guilty and the jury deliberating for nearly seven hours before acquitting them
- The defence argued the sexual encounters were consensual, while the prosecution claimed the woman was too intoxicated to consent
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Panormitis Charalampis testified he felt a 'duty' to ensure the woman got home safely and claimed she initiated sexual activity by grabbing his arm
- Charalampis testified he did not understand the English word 'gross' when the woman allegedly said it to him during the assault
- Crown prosecutor Rebecca Everitt questioned Charalampis on whether he knew the woman was 'very drunk' and repeatedly suggested he should have recognized her incapacity to consent
- The womanâs memory was described as 'punctuated by black spots' and she believed the men were her Uber driver and his friend
- CCTV footage showed Charalampis getting into the back seat of the car after pushing the woman, who he claimed 'came to'
- Michael Vrouvis initially refused to testify, but his friend Jimmy Parimeros testified that Vrouvis initially refrained from sex due to her intoxication but agreed later
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Article 1 states the womanâs BAC was between 0.1 and 0.15, but Article 2 states it was between 0.2 and 0.1 (likely a typo in Article 2, but the range differs)
- Article 1 reports the womanâs memory was 'punctuated by black spots' and she had 'fragmented' memory, while Article 3 describes her memory as 'patchy and fragmented' without mentioning 'black spots'
- Article 1 claims the woman âpassed out or fell asleepâ in her bed and woke intermittently to being assaulted, but Article 2 does not explicitly mention her waking up during the assault
- Article 1 states the woman âbelieved the men were her Uber driver and his friend,â while Article 3 notes the defence argued her behaviour (e.g., walking naked onto a balcony) was inconsistent with believing they were rapists
- Article 2 states the woman âwas crawling and falling out of a car, laying on the ground, unable to walk without being carried by two men,â but Article 1 does not explicitly state she was âlaying on the groundâ
Source Articles
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...
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....
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....