Woman raped by high-profile Melbourne man speaks out
The woman raped by a man from a high-profile Victorian family has spoken out in a bid to empower other women seeking justice, saying the verdict made the difficult journey she had endured worthwhile.
The woman raped by a man from a high-profile Victorian family has broken her silence in a bid to empower other women fighting for justice.
The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, issued a statement on Friday after her attacker was convicted by a County Court jury of two counts of rape.
She shared her relief that the 12 jurors had “believed” her, instead of believing the version of events spun by the man, who also gave evidence during the 10-day trial.
She spoke of the difficult journey she had endured since she came forward early last year and reported the sexual assault to police.
But she said the verdict had made it all worthwhile.
She threw her support behind other women on their own path to justice, telling them not to doubt themselves because they were stronger than they realised.
The complainant will be offered an opportunity to address the court – and her attacker – by reading a victim impact statement at his pre-sentence hearing next Friday.
The jury found the man guilty after less than two days of deliberations.
He wiped tears from his eyes and his mother sobbed after the verdict was handed down.
During a short break, he was comforted by his loved ones, while his girlfriend, who began to feel light-headed, lay down across several chairs as she was tended to by court staff.
Now a convicted rapist, the man faces years behind bars.
He was remanded in custody by Judge Gregory Lyon, despite his defence barrister David Hallowes SC arguing that his bail should be extended.
At the start of the trial, Crown prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams said the man committed the rapes “through deception” by pretending to be his mate to trick the complainant.
Then, Mr McWilliams said the man deployed “even more deception” by doctoring an Uber receipt and telling lies in a desperate attempt to “shift the blame”.
The jury heard the complainant attended the man’s home late on a summer night after she was invited over by his girlfriend.
A boozy gathering had been hosted at the home that day, but only the man, his girlfriend and his mate, Mr B*, remained when the complainant arrived at 12.23am.
Mr McWilliams said the complainant, who was in a “casual sexual relationship” with Mr B, had consensual sex with him in an upstairs bedroom.
At 1.58am, Mr B left in the Uber, arriving at his home at 2.09am.
After his departure, the man crept into the dark bedroom and lied to the complainant, telling her the Uber had been cancelled and Mr B would be back upstairs soon.
The jury found the man then left the room and re-entered, before sliding into bed with the complainant and pretending to be Mr B as he digitally penetrated her twice.
Mr McWilliams said she knew it was him because he had a different haircut to Mr B, which she both felt and later saw as he ran from the bedroom to the light-filled hallway.
At 2.15am, she messaged Mr B, who confirmed he had arrived home.
The next day, the man altered the Uber receipt, changing the departure and arrival times to, effectively, place Mr B at the scene of the crime.
Mr Hallowes said one of the “key issues” of the trial would be whether Mr B returned to the bedroom before catching the Uber.
But Mr B testified that he left the bedroom to move his car, prior to catching the Uber, and he did not recall returning to the bedroom.
Mr McWilliams urged the jurors to accept the complainant’s account, given it had been “consistent, cogent and compelling” from the start.
The man will be sentenced at a later date.
*Not his real name
Originally published as Woman raped by high-profile Melbourne man speaks out
