Mount Gambier man John Kakule found guilty of rape and assault

A jury has delivered its verdict in the case of a married man who claimed raping a woman before trying to silence her with gifts was a consensual affair.

A married man who held a woman down and raped her has learnt his fate a second time, after he was previously jailed and won a retrial for the same offending.

John Kakule, 47, was found guilty by a jury in the District Court of assault with intent to rape and two counts of rape.

Tomas Macura, for the prosecution, told the court in his opening statement that Kakule had driven the victim around Mount Gambier.

The court heard Kakule, a dental technician, took the victim to a secluded area in 2019 and opened her car door.

Mr Macura said Kakule then said: “I demanded to have sex with you at your house. You refused. I thought if I brought you here in this bush, then we will be able to do it properly”.

John Kakule was found guilty by a jury of rape. Photo: Facebook

The court heard Kakule took the victim to a secluded area in 2019. Photo: Facebook

The court heard Kakule then attempted to pull off the woman’s skirt and underwear and restrained her so she couldn’t move.

“(The victim) tried to get her phone to call triple-0 but the accused grabbed her phone and threw it in the back of the car,” Mr Macura said.

The court heard the woman started crying and Kakule eventually stopped and told her he would never do it again before driving her home.

Two days later Kakule and the victim were at his house when he approached her.

The court heard Kakule indecently assaulted the woman after she tried to run away from him before approaching her from behind and raping her.

Mr Macura said the woman tried to fight but Kakule pushed her onto the couch and pressed against her so she was unable to move before raping her again.

The court heard after the victim reported the rape to police Kakule called her and asked her to tell police that they were dating.

“The accused told her he didn’t want to go to jail and offered to buy her a car and teach her to drive,” Mr Macura said.

The court heard Kakule, who is a married man with children, told police in an interview it was consensual.

In his closing statement, Peter Hill, for Kakule, told the court the first incident did not happen and the rape at his house was consensual sexual intercourse.

Mr Hill queried why the woman would have asked Kakule for another lift if the first incident did happen.

“There are too many aspects that are implausible, too many inconsistencies on significant matters to amount to proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” he said.

Kakule was jailed for seven years in November 2022 for the same offending but won a retrial.

He returns to court next month for sentencing.

Originally published as Mount Gambier man John Kakule found guilty of rape and assault