Two men accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her Darwin apartment after picking her up while she waited for an Uber
Consensus Summary
Two men, Panormitis Charalampis and Michael Vrouvis, were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her Darwin apartment after picking her up while she waited for an Uber on January 14, 2024. The woman, who had been drinking heavily at nightclubs, was found severely intoxicated with a BAC between 0.1 and 0.15 when she arrived at her apartment with the men. CCTV footage showed her falling from the car and needing assistance to walk. Both men denied the allegations, claiming the sexual encounters were consensual, with Charalampis testifying he felt a duty to ensure her safety and that she initiated contact. The trial focused on whether the woman was too intoxicated to consent or if gaps in her memory created reasonable doubt. The womanâs mother and housemate testified about her fragmented recollections and her attempts to stop the men. Expert testimony confirmed her high intoxication levels and unreliable memory. After two weeks of testimony, the jury unanimously acquitted both men, concluding there was reasonable doubt about whether she was incapable of consenting.
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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 in 2024
- The incident occurred on January 14, 2024, after the woman left Mayberry nightclub in Darwinâs CBD at around 3:30am and was picked up outside while waiting for an Uber
- The womanâs blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was estimated between 0.1 and 0.15 when she reached her apartment block, described as 'high to severe' intoxication
- CCTV footage shows the woman falling from the back of the car and needing assistance to walk into her apartment block
- Both men pleaded not guilty, maintaining the sexual encounters were consensual
- The trial lasted approximately two weeks, with the jury hearing testimony from the womanâs mother, housemate, and expert witness Jane Goodman-Delahunty
- The central issue in the case was whether the woman was too intoxicated to consent or whether gaps in her memory created reasonable doubt
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 and pulling out his private parts
- Crown Prosecutor Rebecca Everitt questioned Charalampis on whether he understood the English word 'gross' and whether the woman had said it to him during the assault
- Jimmy Parimeros, a police officer and friend of Michael Vrouvis, testified that Vrouvis initially refused sex due to the womanâs intoxication but agreed later in the morning after she asked again
- The womanâs housemate testified she remembered the woman passing out in bed and waking up to someone raping her, and that she later checked her Uber app and realized the driverâs profile did not match the men
- The womanâs mother testified her daughter told her she 'thought it was strange' there were two people in the front of the car and that she 'got out of the car and felt sick and stumbled and threw up'
- Nurse Megan Caffrey testified the woman reported feeling 'totally out of it' and described being 'slapped awake' by one of the men the following morning
- Defence lawyer Beth Wild asked the womanâs mother if her daughter was 'aware enough to say no' and the mother testified her daughter said she had told the men to stop multiple times
- The jury heard the womanâs memory was 'punctuated by black spots' and she believed the men were her Uber driver and his friend
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- Article 1 states Panormitis Charalampis testified he 'wanted to leave' when they reached the apartment lobby but stayed because the woman had invited them in, while Article 2 reports Justice Kelly said the defence argued the men stayed for eight hours, asked for her phone number, and offered breakfast, which contradicts Charalampisâs claim of wanting to leave
- Article 1 reports the womanâs BAC was between 0.1 and 0.15, while Article 4 states the expert witness Jane Goodman-Delahunty testified the BAC was between 0.2 and 0.1 (likely a typo in Article 4, but the range is slightly inconsistent)
- Article 1 states the womanâs memory was 'punctuated by black spots' and she had 'fragmented' recall, while Article 3 reports the womanâs mother testified her daughter told her she 'thought it was strange' there were two people in the car, implying the woman had clearer recollections of some events
- Article 1 reports the womanâs housemate said she remembered the woman passing out in bed and waking up to someone raping her, while Article 3 reports the housemate said the woman told him she 'remembered passing out in bed and waking up to someone raping her,' which is consistent but Article 1 does not mention the housemateâs name or specific phrasing
- Article 2 states the jury unanimously found the men not guilty after seven hours of deliberation, while Article 1 does not explicitly state the juryâs verdict until Article 2, implying Article 2 is the definitive source for the verdict
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....
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....
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...
Rape trial of men woman believed were Uber drivers ends first week
A jury has heard a woman told two men to "get out" during an alleged sexual assault in her Darwin apartment that lasted more than eight hours. The court was told the woman had been drinking on a night...