Former semi-pro NBL1 Melbourne basketballer Corey Fiddes jailed after found guilty of rape: Court

A former semi-pro basketballer and Melbourne real estate agent said “fair enough” to no sex before raping his victim multiple times.

Corey Fiddes has been found guilty of rape.

A former star Melbourne basketballer who raped a woman multiple times has been jailed after he left his “traumatised” victim in a living “nightmare”.

Corey Fiddes, 23, was sentenced in the County Court on Tuesday to a minimum 40-month jail term after he was found guilty of three counts of rape.

Fiddes worked as a real estate agent and was a semi-professional basketballer in a lower NBL league when he raped his victim in early-2021.

The court heard Fiddes sexually violated his victim after the pair encountered each other on a dancefloor.

According to evidence, Fiddes told the victim “you must want to (do this) because you’re quite w--”, the court was told.

Corey Fiddes has been jailed.

The court heard the victim “became more insistent (she didn’t want to do anything sexual)” and told Fiddes “no, no, no”.

Further details of Fiddes’ sordid offending was revealed at today’s sentencing hearing.

Judge Simon Moglia said Fiddes took the victim to a room where she told him she didn’t want to have sex.

However, Fiddes said “fair enough” but raped his victim anyway.

Fiddes also moved his victim off the bed and onto the floor where he committed a vile act, the court heard.

Judge Moglia said friends of the victim entered the room after hearing sounds which had them “concerned”.

Fiddes told friends he seemed “hated” for “what he did” and then left the house.

Judge Moglia also accepted Fiddes put his hand over the victim's mouth while he raped her.

Fiddes’ former real estate boss Brad Teal submitted a reference to the court which characterised the sex fiend as a “fine young man”.

Other references labelled Fiddes as a “much loved member of staff’” who was “gentle” and “fun loving”.

Fiddes references also stated his vile sexual offending was “totally out of character”.

The court heard Fiddes attended Wesley College before he accepted an illustrious basketball scholarship at the University of California.

Fiddes attended the top American college’s San Francisco campus but returned to Melbourne after only 12 months due to an injury and a family tragedy.

Fiddes then sought work as a landscaper while playing semi-professional basketball in the NBL1 league after he returned to Melbourne in 2019.

Fiddes then scored his real estate job but was forced to quit after he was initially charged with five counts of rape.

The court heard Fiddes, who has no priors for sexual offending, worked as an apprentice plumber prior to going into custody.

Fiddes previously refereed younger basketballer’s games and attended basketball camps with younger players, the court was told.

The victim tearfully read her impact statement to the court.

She said Fiddes’ offending left her feeling “loss of the will to live”.

“(The) trauma of the crime … has led to my mental health plummeting,” she said.

The victim also said she has suffered immense physical and mental issues following the multiple rapes.

“I have a chronic desire to kill myself … before this nightmare began I was so happy,” she said.

The prosecution submitted Fiddes “hadn’t accepted his conduct”.

Judge Moglia said the crime of rape was “undeniably grave”.

“(Being raped) strikes at the heart of a person’s sense of self …,” he said.

“Rape is intolerable in our community … offenders will be punished accordingly.”

Fiddes was convicted and jailed for a maximum of five years and six months.

Fiddes, who had spent 109 days of pre-sentence detention, was not made a registered sex offender.