Christian Maxwell Jackson trial: Jury retires to consider verdict in Surf Coast rape trial

The jury poised to decide the fate of a man accused of rape and multiple assaults against a woman in a Surf Coast town is deliberating after retiring to consider its verdict.

Christian Jackson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape, multiple counts of common law assault and intentionally damaging property.

The jury poised to decide the fate of a man accused of rape and multiple assaults against a woman in a Surf Coast town is deliberating after retiring to consider its verdict.

Judge Frances Hogan spent more than a day giving her final directions to the 12 member jury in the County Court of Victoria in Geelong, who retired on Thursday morning.

The eight men and four women panel is now tasked with determining whether Christian Maxwell Jackson, 54, is guilty or not guilty of three counts of rape, six counts of common law assault and one count of intentionally damaging property in a coastal town.

They heard closing submissions from both the defence and prosecution this week after more than seven days of evidence.

Mr Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Accused Christian Jackson.

He took the stand during the trial to deny the allegations, becoming visibly emotional at times under cross examination and when addressed by his defense counsel.

Some of the allegations against him involve “strangling” and “choking” his alleged victim.

His barrister, Ian Hill KC, told the jury Mr Jackson’s defence had been “significantly and unfairly disadvantaged” by the delay in the allegations made against his client by a woman and the “three year time span” the rapes are alleged to have occurred.

“Defence has been left unable to explore (or) examine the surrounding circumstances to ascertain whether they contradict or are inconsistent with the complainant’s testimony,” he said.

“How can you call evidence about the surrounding circumstances? How can you question a person about the surrounding circumstances?”

He said there was also a loss of chance for medical examinations to be conducted to look for injuries, as is standard practice after a sexual assault.

“There is a loss of a chance to make any defence other than a simple denial,” he said.

Both the prosecution and defence have rested after more than a week of testimony punctuated by alleged accounts of assault by strangling and choking.

Crown Prosecutor Andrew McKenry told the jury on Monday that Mr Jackson did rape a woman on three occasions in a Surf Coast town, and had a tendency to “put his hands around her throat” and choke her.

Mr McKenry told the Geelong court the alleged victim was both honest and reliable and had “told you the truth”.

The jury was shown a video of the alleged victim that appeared to show “pressure marks on the neck” that the prosecution claims was caused by the accused, and formed part of the tendency evidence presented to the court.

They were also reminded of her testimony about the alleged rapes.

Mr Jackson’s defence counsel told the jury during his closing submission the complainant was “not reliable and credible” and questioned accounts in her evidence.

He said she had lied about giving a doctor report about rib damage alleged to have been caused by the accused to police.

“Not true,” he said.

“It doesn’t exist.”

Mr Hill told the jury the records had been looked for “responsibly” by police and the medical practice but were not found.

“There was no such consultation,” he argued.

“There was no such injury.”

Originally published as Christian Maxwell Jackson trial: Jury retires to consider verdict in Surf Coast rape trial