Solomon Islands police officer David Davies Ariki not guilty of rape

A jury tasked with determining if a Solomon Islands police officer raped a woman at a Cairns hotel in 2022 has returned a verdict after deliberating for an hour on Friday.

A police officer has been accused of rape in Cairns.

A Solomon Islands police officer has been found not guilty of rape after a week-long trial in Cairns.

David Davies Ariki, 38, pleaded not guilty in the Cairns District Court to one count of rape in April 2022 at a Cairns hotel while the maritime unit, in which he worked, was docked in Cairns.

Earlier in the trial the woman who was allegedly raped by the Solomon Islands police officer punched him, smashed a plate over his head and called police after the incident, the court heard.

Defence barrister James Sheridan told the court the issue in dispute was consent.

“In essence, (the question) is whether she consented or whether he (Ariki) held an honest and reasonable belief that she had consented,” Mr Sheridan said.

In her opening address to the jury, prosecutor Tegan Grasso told the court Ariki and the alleged victim had been drinking alcohol and were ‘both quite intoxicated’ in the 24 hours leading up to the incident.

She said Ariki was part of an 18-man crew from the Solomon Islands Police Maritime Unit that had docked in Cairns, and checked into a hotel only the day before.

Ms Grasso said the woman knew some of the officers, which is how she came to be drinking and socialising with them on the day before and of the alleged incident.

David Davies Ariki has pleaded not guilty in Cairns District Court to a charge of rape.

“It is not disputed that they did have sexual intercourse … what’s not agreed and what you need to decide is whether she gave consent,” Ms Grasso told the jury

Ms Grasso said that, in the woman’s video evidence, she would say she had gaps in her memory.

She does, however, recall realising Ariki was on top of her in a bed in a hotel room, then struggling and saying “stop, stop, stop”, Ms Grasso told the court.

“She will describe that she confronted him and did this violently … she struck the defendant and hit him with a ceramic plate with food on it over the head and then she called triple-0,” Ms Grasso told the court.

She said, Ariki, when questioned by police, told them the victim had made advances to him, which he had initially refused, then asked her if she would like to have sex.

He told police officers the woman had said “Yes, I will have sex with you,” said Ms Grasso.

Ms Grasso said most of the witnesses to be called were fellow members of the Solomon Islands police unit.

Ariki’s video record of interview was played to the jury, as was the woman’s video evidence.

The jury deliberated for approximately an hour late on Friday afternoon before returning the not guilty verdict.

Ariki did not give or call evidence.

During his summing up, Mr Sheridan highlighted evidence from witnesses who had been drinking in the group that Ariki and the woman had been affectionate during the evening - kissing and hugging.

He also highlighted that the woman had many gaps in her memory around what had happened at the time of the alleged incident.

Originally published as Solomon Islands police officer David Davies Ariki not guilty of rape