Kingaroy man accused of brutally raping a woman with a ‘knife’ or ‘sharp object’ released on bail into community

New details have emerged surrounding an alleged violent rape in Kingaroy, which resulted in a woman being flown to hospital with life-threatening injuries. The man accused of carrying out the horrific alleged assault has now been released from custody.

A Kingaroy man accused of brutally raping a woman with a “knife or other sharp object” has been granted bail after a delay in police evidence being presented.

The 58-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been in custody since May 28 after an intoxicated woman was discovered bleeding severely at his Kingaroy property.

Police allege the man inserted an unknown object into the woman and held her against her will for two hours before she was found by a witness and flown to Brisbane Hospital with severe rectal haemorrhaging.

He was denied bail in May, however made a second application in Kingaroy Magistrates Court based on submission’s the alleged victim’s statement to police “changed the circumstances”, in which she alleges he used a date-rape drug on her.

Defence lawyer Jay Rose said no medical evidence backed the claim she’d been drugged and added she was unable to provide any specific details about what happened.

Mr Rose added the woman declined an internal anal examination, making it difficult to determine how the injuries were inflicted.

Sergeant Gangemi said the absence of medical evidence didn’t undermine the strength of the prosecution’s case, since police still had significant items of evidence to be tendered to the court.

Magistrate Andrew Sinclair said it appeared the woman had “completely blanked to the incident”, so the prosecution will largely rely on what she said at the time, witnesses, and a statement from a forensic nurse, which is yet to be produced.

“I previously refused bail on the basis that objects were used and she sustained severe internal injuries consistent only with a bizarre and serious attack. I've got no evidence of that now,” he said.

Mr Sinclair said there had been a change of circumstances, but noted the prosecution‘s failure to provide a brief of evidence.

“There‘s no medical evidence before me as to how the injury occurred, so it becomes in essence a rape allegation based on the material she could remember at the time, which we now know she can’t remember.”

The man was granted bail to appear in Kingaroy Magistrates Court on September 27.

He is charged with rape, grievous bodily harm, deprivation of liberty, producing dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs, possessing drug utensils and possessing anything used in the commission of a crime.