Matthew Khabbaz, Jesse Sewell: ‘Super Cruel’ to stand trial over alleged sexual assault of woman

A pair of Australian musicians have been committed to stand trial on charges of sexual assault against a woman after a show in Brisbane.

Two Australian musicians will stand trial over an alleged assault against a woman which is said to have taken place after the pair performed a show in Brisbane’s party precinct.

Adelaide writer and producer Matthew Khabbaz, commonly known as Tigerilla, and Sydney DJ Jesse Sewell, who goes by the name Jesse Porsches, faced the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, November 9 for a committal hearing.

The musical duo, whose band ‘Super Cruel’ has more than 23,000 monthly listeners, is accused of assaulting a woman on March 24, 2019 after they performed at the Tivoli in Fortitude Valley.

Both men looked almost unrecognisable – dressed in suits with their hair dark and cut short – as their legal representatives cross-examined three witnesses: the alleged victim, her former boyfriend, and a man who was with her the night of the alleged incident.

Khabbaz’ defence Craig Eberhardt questioned the woman’s former boyfriend about his memory of the March, 2019 evening, when he was said to have been at his Kelvin Grove home and communicating with his then-girlfriend via text message.

“It was just getting way too feral without you,” the court heard the woman wrote to him in a text message.

“No one cares that I have a boyfriend, it’s so f---ed.”

The man said he “didn’t particularly read into” the text messages at the time, and it was not until later that evening – when he and his then-girlfriend were in bed – that she told him she felt like Mr Khabbaz had “behaved inappropriately”.

He told the court he did not ask what Mr Khabbaz allegedly did at any point because he was “angry and frustrated about the fact that it had happened”.

The man said his then-girlfriend told him Mr Khabbaz had “tried to hook up with her” and that he and another man, alleged to be Mr Sewell, had made her feel uncomfortable.

He and the woman separated a “very short time” after the alleged incident.

The court also heard from a man who was with the woman on the night she was allegedly assaulted.

He explained he was “very intoxicated” at the time and only vaguely remembered what was happening around him.

He said he saw the woman with both Mr Khabbaz and Mr Sewell at various points throughout the night, but did not recall seeing anything “untoward”.

The man said he remembered saying goodbye to the woman, who was standing with a group of people including Mr Khabbaz and Mr Sewell, before leaving the venue.

The next time he saw her was the following morning at his house. He said he asked her what had happened the night prior, she cried, and he retired to his bedroom.

The court was closed temporarily as the alleged victim took to the witness stand. She later left the courtroom in tears.

Magistrate Michael Quinn said he was of the opinion the evidence was sufficient to put both Mr Khabbaz and Mr Sewell on trial.

He formally charged Mr Khabbaz with one count of common assault and one of sexual assault, and Mr Sewell with two counts of sexual assault and one of common assault.

Both men pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges and were committed to stand trial in the Brisbane District Court on a date not yet set.

Mr Khabbaz was released on bail with no conditions, while Mr Sewell was released on bail with conditions including not to contact the alleged victim or his co-accused, and to continue residing only at his Bellevue Hill address in New South Wales.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article contained a headline which referred to the charges faced by the defendants in this matter. To make it abundantly clear, Mr Khabbaz is facing one charge of common assault and one charge of sexual assault, and Mr Sewell is facing two counts of sexual assault and one charge of common assault. No other charges. They have pleaded not guilty to those charges.