Man, 24, charged with raping Gold Coast teen in Surfers Paradise toilet

The lawyer for a man charged with raping a young woman after following her from a Surfers Paradise nightclub has made it clear he’ll fight the charges. Read why and the court latest.

Police have charged a man after a woman was allegedly raped in the a Surfers Paradise toilet block.

A man charged with following a young Gold Coast woman from a nightclub and raping her in a toilet block plans to fight the allegations from behind bars, a court has been told.

The 24-year-old, who cannot be named at this stage of proceedings, appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday.

He is charged with six counts of rape and one of deprivation of liberty.

Police allege the man met the 19-year-old woman at a Surfers Paradise nightclub on Saturday night, where she rejected his advances.

The man allegedly followed the woman from the club to toilets near the Circle Skyrise towers on Ferny Ave and raped her multiple times.

He was arrested a short distance from the scene and has been in custody since.

Police claim the man did not know his alleged victim prior to meeting her at the nightclub.

Defence lawyer Katie Wolff told the court during the man’s bail application on Monday that he had made it “quite clear” he would be fighting all seven charges.

“There is an issue surrounding consent,” Ms Wolff said.

“The facts are quite daunting, however there are multiple charges stemming from the one event.”

Court documents submitted as part of the bail application claim the “strength of the evidence is currently unknown”, as it relied on the woman’s statement and CCTV footage that did not depict the alleged offending.

Ms Wolff said her client had limited criminal history and had never previously spent time in custody.

She told the court he struggled with alcohol abuse and was not medicated for depression and anxiety, but would seek help for all mental health concerns if granted bail.

Magistrate Veena Goverdhan denied the application, saying the man posed an “unacceptable risk” to the community and alleged victim.

She said he would be able to make another application should his circumstances change.

The man will be remanded in custody until his matter is next mentioned on March 9.

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