Horrific details of how a Perth dad drugged and raped 12 women have been laid bare in court as four of his victims addressed their abuser to reveal the impact his crimes had on them.
The women all told similar stories of feeling shame and worthlessness after they were raped by 46-year-old Adam Lusk. Some had no idea they had been assaulted until police contacted them after finding footage of the assaults on an iPad owned by Lusk.
Lusk, 46, filmed himself raping multiple girls.Credit: Nine News.
In September, a jury found Lusk guilty of 97 charges of rape and stupefying the women from April 2020 to January 2022.
He will be sentenced in the New Year, but on Friday his victims were given the opportunity to have their stories heard.
One woman, who sobbed throughout her statement, told Lusk that she was a sociable 21-year-old when she met him. She had hoped to strike up a relationship with his best friend, but one night Lusk drugged and then raped her.
“When I woke up next to Adam I was confused and couldn’t remember anything,” she told the court.
“I felt confused and ashamed. I felt the entire time I had done some something wrong when I was blackout drunk.”
The woman, who cannot be named to protect her identity, told the court she had no idea she had been assaulted until she was contacted by the police three months later.
“The police asked me if I knew someone by the name of Adam Lusk,” she said.
“My stomach dropped. They let me know he was being investigated for several crimes against women. I broke down crying.”
The woman watched three minutes of a 37 minute-long video Lusk filmed while assaulting her. The experience made her feel like she lost her light.
“I felt so empty, like a walking corpse or a zombie,” she said.
“I was dead inside. A part of me wished I never watched it and a part of me is glad I did because now I know for sure what my heart was saying to me.”
The woman told the court the incident had exacerbated an eating disorder and drove her to substance abuse and attempts to take her own life.
Despite that, she hoped Lusk would get the help he needed.
“I hope that choosing to read this in front of you today will help build my courage and strength,” she said.
“I hope that it will inspire me to help other women some day, because no one should ever have to go through this. I pray that it releases me of the burden you have over me.”
Another victim told the court she was just 15 years old when she met Lusk.
“I had feelings for him at the time, and it took me over a year for me to realise the severity of what happened and what he did to me,” she said.
“At such a young and vulnerable age I was forced to learn how evil and scary the world can be. It’s unfair to learn so young how terrifying people can be.”
The woman told the court she felt “confusing sympathy” for Lusk after she was told he had drugged and raped her, making her not want to pursue charges.
“Shame and guilt overcome me at times,” she said.
“But I remind myself that he manipulated me. There was such a power imbalance and he took advantage of that.
“I will be strong, and I will not let this define me because I do have so many things to look forward to and so many life experiences to live for.
“It will take time, but I will get there.”
Six of the women Lusk assaulted met him on the dating app Sugar Daddy Meet.
The first part of Lusk’s sentencing hearing comes the same week as Perth dentist Farzam Mehrabi was jailed for 15 years for drugging and raping six women he met on Tinder and Bumble.
Lusk will learn his fate on January 31.
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