Ricardo Audish rape trail: Woman felt ‘dizzy’ before sex with pizza shop boss

An 18-year-old who felt “dizzy” after smoking a cannabis bong laced with an unknown substance was unable to give informed consent to the four men accused of raping her, a court heard.

A girl who was allegedly gang raped in a pizza shop by a chef twice her age was told he answered to “The Boss”, a court has heard.

On Friday, a jury in the Ricardo Audish rape trial for heard opening submissions by both the prosecution and defence in the District Court.

Ricardo Audish arriving at Downing Centre courts in Sydney at the beginning of his rape trial. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Married father-of-three Audish, who is on bail, pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting an 18-year-old woman in the company of three teenage boys, who are also alleged to have raped the woman.

The court heard a number of witnesses will be called to give evidence during the expected two-week trial including two paramedics, a friend of the girl and a man who called an ambulance for her.

The attack is alleged to have happened at Lugarno pizzeria on Saturday night in October 2016, when Audish was aged 38.

The three co-offenders, who were children at the time of the alleged assault, have also pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

DPP prosecutor Kate Nightingale told the court her client was picked up by her boyfriend and taken to the Forest Rd shop.

Ms Nightingale said he led her through the side gate and down the back of the premise, where she was “introduced to a person called ‘The Boss’ — Mr Audish”.

She had a smoke before having consensual sex in the bathroom with her boyfriend.

The Crown will allege he said: “All the other boys want to have sex with you now”.

Ms Nightingale told the jury she responded: “Hell no”.

The Crown alleged soon after she was drugged and felt “dizzy” after smoking a cannabis bong, laced with an unknown substance.

She remembered the boys and Audish standing and watching her in a corridor next to the restaurant, then “patchy” memories of being raped and a camera flashing.

“Because of her state, she couldn’t consent to having sexual intercourse with anyone,” Ms Nightingale told the court.

The court heard she called a friend, who will give evidence she sounded “distressed”.

The jury heard the friend texted her: “Stay safe baby, keep me updated as well”.

About an hour-and-a-half after arriving at the restaurant, she was dropped on a street in Riverwood.

The Crown said a witness, who called an ambulance, will give evidence she was “shaking, pale and had tears running down her face”.

The Crown will allege intercepted calls of the men speaking in Arabic after the night will prove Audish is guilty of rape.

Ricardo Audish arriving at Downing Centre courts in Sydney at the beginning of his rape trial. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Ms Nightingale alleged Audish continued to tell the boys “not to mention (my) name”.

He asked the boys to talk “so we know what we are going to say”, she told the court.

The court heard recorded conversations from inside a police holding cell after they were arrested reveal the boys and Audish discussing the night.

“No one knows what happened because she was asleep,” Ms Nightingale said one of the boys was recorded to say.

But Audish’s barrister Eugene Wasilenia told the court the sex was consensual.

The girl’s boyfriend told Audish that evening “she wants to have sex with you”, Mr Wasilenia said.

Audish asked her if that was correct and she said ‘yes’ so they had sex without a condom, the court heard.

“He asked her to lean against the fridge … pulled up her skirt … and he had sexual intercourse with her, penile vagina, from the rear,” Mr Wasilenia told the jury.

“During that time he felt her up and touched her everywhere.”

Audish ejaculated on the floor, washed his hands in the basin and went back to work, the court heard.

Mr Wasilenia inferred the woman was lying.

“Telling lies is one of the frailties of the human condition,” he told the jury.

He said Audish tried to cover it up because he had cheated on his wife.

The trial will continue on Monday at 10am.

It is due to be followed by a single trial for the co-offenders, who are due to appear in court for a mention on March 8.