A man from a high-profile Melbourne family has been found guilty of raping a woman inside his own home, in a case where he impersonated her boyfriend in the dark.
Jury Delivers Swift Verdict After Trial
The 12 jurors at the Victorian County Court returned guilty verdicts on two charges of rape shortly after midday on Friday, 21 June 2024. They had deliberated for less than two days after hearing seven days of evidence and legal arguments. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had pleaded not guilty and forced the case to trial.
As the verdicts were read out, the convicted man slumped in his seat with his head in his hands. His mother was present in court and wept openly.
Chilling Details of the January Attack
The court heard that the attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday, 14 January 2024, at the man's home in Melbourne. The female complainant, the girlfriend of the man's friend, had engaged in consensual sex with her boyfriend at the property.
Her boyfriend then organised an Uber and left the house just before 2am. The offender subsequently lied to the woman, telling her that her boyfriend's Uber had been cancelled and that he would be returning upstairs.
Instead, a short time later, the man entered the dark bedroom and pretended to be the woman's boyfriend. He then digitally raped her twice.
Forged Evidence and a Trail of Lies
In the days following the assault, the man doctored an Uber receipt in an attempt to show the complainant's boyfriend had left the property after 2:30am—long after the actual departure time.
While he admitted to forging the document, he claimed to the jury that he had done so out of panic after being falsely accused. Crown Prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams urged jurors to reject this explanation, stating the man had told "a series of lies" to deflect blame. He described the victim's evidence as clear, consistent, and convincing.
Defence barrister David Hallowes SC had argued his client was telling the truth and suggested it was possible the woman's mind was "playing tricks on her." The jury ultimately rejected this defence.
The man will be sentenced at a later date.
