Calls for woman at centre of false Tanner Bruhn rape case to ‘out herself’
Sex workers claim they are being targeted and blamed after a bogus rape case against Cats midfielder Tanner Bruhn collapsed, calling for the woman alleged to have lied to be identified.
Sex workers claim they are being targeted, blamed and put at risk after a bogus rape case against Cats midfielder Tanner Bruhn collapsed, calling for the woman alleged to have lied to “out herself.”
OnlyFans creator and escort Lisa Lewis has slammed the complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, whose alleged false accusations led to the rising Geelong star being stood down for the 2025 AFL season.
Rape charges against Bruhn, 23, and his friend Patrick Sinnott were dropped after a key witness admitted he fabricated claims being used to prosecute them for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in the early hours of February 5, 2023.
It’s alleged the men met the woman in a carpark outside a strip club in Geelong.
During the committal hearing the court was told the woman moonlighted as a sex worker.
Ms Lewis, a New Zealand born adult entertainer now working in Geelong, wants the complainant to publicly take responsibility for the damage done, claiming many in the industry are being bombarded with abuse from angry footy fans.
“The right thing for this girl to do now is to come out and own what she’s done, for the sake of all the industry girls being targeted and wrongfully accused,” she said.
“One bad apple doesn’t mean the whole tree is rotten.
“I just ask that hate isn’t directed toward our industry because of what one girl has done.”
Bruhn’s name has been dragged through the mud both online and within the wider AFL community as a result of the ordeal, despite a suppression order being in place covering his identity from being published during court proceedings.
He always maintained his innocence.
Online content creators “who don’t even offer in-person services” had been targeted by Cats fans “with hate” in the wake of the false claims, according to Ms Lewis.
“Because she is an ‘unknown’, I and many other industry girls have already had texts in the last 24 hours from media sources and randoms on our work phones and socials asking if it was us,” she said.
“There is a lot of speculation and finger-pointing at any girl currently advertised in Geelong on sex work pages — myself included.”
Another escort, who did not want to be named, said the actions of the complainant made it more difficult for sex workers to report legitimate assaults.
“It only emboldens violent offenders, of which there are many,” she said.
“I know girls have been raped but not believed by police just because of our legal profession and prejudices.
“These false claims don’t help.”
During a committal hearing last month, a key witness, Harrison Martin, admitted that he had lied to police in his statement and in the witness box in relation to events involving Bruhn and Mr Sinnott.
He confessed he had been instructed by the alleged victim of what to say in his statement to detectives.
The court heard it was suggested that the woman had agreed to be paid for sexual services but threatened to report the pair to police if not paid more money.
Mr Bruhn’s barrister Dermot Dann KC, said the case represented a “horrible stain on the criminal justice system”.
The Office of Public Prosecutions withdrew all charges.
Bruhn will return to GMHBA Stadium for pre-season training this month ahead of the 2026 AFL season.
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Originally published as Calls for woman at centre of false Tanner Bruhn rape case to ‘out herself’
