Named: Man charged with rape, striking drunk nightclubber in face

A Brisbane man is set to face a committal hearing for allegedly raping and assaulting a woman after they met on the dancefloor at a Fortitude Valley nightclub. WARNING: GRAPHIC

Chaz Francis Mathieson is charged with rape and assault occasioning bodily harm. Picture: David Clark

A cyber security specialist is set to face a committal hearing for allegedly raping and assaulting a woman by slapping her face leaving a bruise after they met on the dancefloor at a Fortitude Valley nightclub.

Chaz Francis Mathieson, 29, was in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with one count of rape and one count of assault occasioning bodily harm.

He accused of raping the woman at his home in the inner-southern suburb of Highgate Hill around 3am in March, 2024, after meeting her at the Tomcat nightclub and bar on a Friday night.

The preliminary hearing was told the woman was out celebrating a birthday dinner with three girlfriends before she met Mathieson in the Wickham St club, where they canoodled in a booth before security asked them to leave due to their “inappropriate” sexual behaviour.

They caught an Uber to Mathieson’s Highgate Hill home, the court heard.

Tomcat in Wickham Street

Chaz Francis Mathieson pictured at Brisbane Magistrates court. Picture David Clark

The woman told police she had consumed five bottles of red wine, and three bottles of the Korean rice spirit soju with her group of friends before she went to the Tomcat club.

The court heard that the woman told police she was dancing with a girlfriend on the dancefloor and then a man was dancing behind her and she ended up dancing with him, then they went to the private booth.

“I don’t remember how, but we went to the side, were making out in the corner, we were in a booth next to the dance floor,” the court heard she told police.

Prosecutor Olivia Henson told the court the alleged victim told police she was drunk but knew what she was doing when she agreed to sex with Mathieson.

But part way through sex when Mathieson allegedly gave her the “first slap” the woman told police from this point on, the sex was not consensual.

Highgate Hill cyber security specialist Chaz Mathieson

“I no longer felt I was able to give consent,” she says in her statement read to the court.

Mathieson denies the claims and argues she agreed to “rough sex”.

In a pretext phone call organised by police after the alleged rape, the pair talk about rough sex and a “bruise on her face”, defence lawyer Alexander Ralston Jones told the court.

He submitted that the prosecution case “rises and falls” on the alleged victim’s evidence, and her credibility, arguing he should be allowed to cross examine her about specific topics at the upcoming committal.

He said her versions of events developed over 72 hours as she spoke to police and various medical staff.

Mr Jones said the next morning, when she woke up with Mathieson she went to the Mater hospital and complained of an “assault to her face”, and did not complain of sexual assault.

Mater allegedly told her to go to another hospital.

One of the doctors at the Mater noted that the woman was “not concerned about the intercourse component of the encounter”, Mr Jones told the court.

A day later she reported a complaint to police about the “sexual encounter”, Mr Jones said.

“In her statement (to police) she says that my client asked her to perform oral sex on him,” Mr Jones said.

“She then goes to the QEII hospital and tells them that he forced her to,” Mr Jones said.

Summarising the witness statement, Magistrate Mark Nolan added that the alleged victim also says in her witness statement that Mathieson “rolled over” and asked her for oral sex and she said she just did it because she was frozen in the moment.

“Is the Crown proceeding on the case that she was raped orally?” Mr Jones asked.

Mr Jones told the court he plans to attack the woman’s credit, and ultimately make a “no-case” submission at the end of the committal hearing.

Mr Nolan, who described the charges as “very serious”, adjourned the case to return to court on April 22 for a half-day committal hearing where the alleged victim will be cross-examined by Mr Jones from a remote room.

Both sides have agreed for three topics for the victim to be cross-examined on.

Originally published as Named: Man charged with rape, striking drunk nightclubber in face