ANU: John XXIII College tells court students held banned drinking events in secret
The Australian National University college at the heart of a drunken rape claim says its residents’ association secretly held a banned booze-up in the hours before a young woman was sexually assaulted in an alleyway.
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So-called “student leaders” at a prestigious university college taped bottles of alcohol to other students hands to force them to drink excessively at a social event in the hours before a young woman was raped in an alleyway near a nightclub, it is alleged.
In documents filed in the ACT Supreme Court, an alleged rape victim claims the John XXIII College residents’ association oversaw an event called “pub golf” the aim of which was for residents to get as drunk as possible.
She also claims the association ran events called “penis peninsula” and “kill a keg”, which she says the college ought to have known about.
The woman, who cannot be named, says she was raped in an alleyway near Canberra bar, Mooseheads, following the booze-fuelled pub golf night.
She is suing the college and the association for negligence, claiming they failed in their duty of care to her by exposing her to an increased risk of sexual assault and unwelcome sexual conduct at drinking events.
In her statement of claim, the woman says students who went to the “pub golf” night were required to drink a minimum “par” of drinks.
By 8.30pm “the college hallways rooms and bathrooms were covered in vomit”, she alleges.
By 9pm, one student was so ill that an ambulance was called to take them to hospital.
She says she has no memory of the alleged rape, but says she was so drunk she would not have been capable of consenting to it.
She says six weeks after she told the college’s women’s officer, Caitlin Burke, that she had been raped the woman was told by college management that her alleged assailant “denied the sexual assault” and that “it was obvious that you two were getting along quite well”.
In his opening address on Monday, the woman’s barrister Tony Bartley SC, said students who spent time living on campus on exchange realised the drinking culture at Johns was “stupendously excessive”.
In its reply, the college denies knowing about the drinking events organised by the residents association and says it had banned events such as “penis peninsula”, “kill a keg” and “pub golf”.
“Steps were taken by (the association) to disguise and conduct the banned drinking events without the knowledge of (the college) knowing that the drinking events were banned …”
The college says it bans events “which focus on the supply of alcohol/binge drinking” and “permits the safe, responsible and moderate consumption of alcohol”.
The college doesn’t admit its hallways, rooms and bathrooms were covered in vomit early on the night of “pub golf” event, but says “major cleaning operations” took place the next morning.
The college says it’s in-house complaint system was fair to the woman and her alleged attacker, who was briefly removed but allowed to return the next year, where he was subject to special rules.
The residents’ association has reached a settlement with the woman, but it is unclear if its terms will be made public.
The trial, before Justice Michael Elkaim, continues.