Sydney PT and alleged serial rapist Anthony Stevo Glumac wins judge-alone trial application

A Sydney personal trainer will face trial early next year on almost 50 sexual assault charges relating to 18 different women after the NSW District Court made a call on how his case will proceed.

Anthony Glumac has won the right to a judge-only trial.

A south-west Sydney fitness instructor accused of sexually abusing 18 women and teenagers in seven years has won the right to a judge-alone trial amid concerns a jury panel may get too “emotional” to properly judge the case.

Anthony Stevo Glumac is due to face trial in February next year on 47 charges stemming from allegations he raped and sexually assaulted 18 women on separate occasions between 2013 and 2020.

The NSW District Court heard Glumac stands accused of engaging in “rough, dominating” sex with some of the women, with prosecutors set to rely on evidence alleging Glumac had a “tendency” to assault women who refused his advances.

Glumac has pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming all the acts were consensual.

The case was sent to the District Court a year ago, at which time Glumac’s legal team estimated a trial by jury would last six months.

Glumac is facing 47 charges relating to 18 female complainants.

However, Glumac’s barrister, NSW public defender Siobhain Climo, applied to the court earlier this year to do away with a jury and have his charges heard by a single judge, arguing the case against her client featured complex and nuanced legal issues that were better understood by a judge.

She also raised fears previous adverse media coverage of Glumac’s charges - along with the sheer number of allegations against him — may take a toll on jurors emotionally and impact his ability to receive a fair trial.

In a decision handed down in late August but only recently released publicly, Judge Andrew Scotting granted the application, agreeing that a trial by jury was fraught with danger.

“There is significant potential for the accused to suffer prejudice by reference to the sheer volume of evidence alleging sexual misconduct on his part, to be led in a single trial,” he said.

“I am satisfied that there is a real risk that jurors will be overcome by emotional responses to the extent of the alleged offending and thereby fail to remain impartial and determine the accused’s guilt of each separate offence according to the evidence relevant to that count.”

NSW District Court judge Andrew Scotting granted Glumac’s request for a judge-alone trial. Picture: X (formerly Twitter)

The court heard a judge-alone hearing would likely halve the length of the trial, while the requirement for a judge to deliver detailed reasoning behind their decision would “bring transparency to the determination of each [charge]”.

The court heard Glumac was, a self-proclaimed fitness educator and chef, was arrested on December 9, 2020, after child abuse and sex crimes squad detectives created Strike Force Honda in September to investigate reports of alleged sexual assaults against two women and two teenagers.

Detectives issued a public appeal via the media for further complainants to come forward, resulting in 14 more women making statements to police alleging sexual misconduct by Glumac.

He will remain in custody on remand until his trial.