Finley’s Daniel Jones and Melissa Nixon accused of B & S ball rape

A recently engaged Finley couple went to a Bachelor and Spinsters Ball near the Murray River before they allegedly raped a woman in a tent.

Daniel Jones and Melissa Nixon, of Finley, were recently engaged before allegedly raping a woman at a Bachelor and Spinsters ball a few months later.

A Finley couple attended a bachelor and spinster ball on the Victorian side of the Murray River before they allegedly raped and sexually assaulted a woman for several hours, a court has heard.

Daniel Jones and Melissa Nixon fronted the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on October 9, charged with the sexual assault and rape of a woman at Koonoomoo on June 25, 2023.

The pair allegedly raped and sexually assaulted the woman for a number of hours after they entered her tent, with Mr Jones entering first, the court heard.

The alleged victim’s sister told the court that Mr Jones entered the tent she was sleeping in first with Ms Nixon coming in behind him.

The woman then told Mr Jones “stop it, no stop it”, the court heard.

The alleged victim’s sister told the court that she received a call from her sister telling her of the “traumatic” experience.

The woman’s mother also gave evidence in court, telling the court about how visibly upset she was when she got home.

“She explicitly said he pinned her down … Then he snuggled right up to her and then he started touching her under her underwear,” her mother told the court.

“Even though she had said no (to sex), quite clearly, what happened did happen to her.”

The mother then told the court of her daughter’s fragile state.

“She was really upset and shaky,” she said.

Daniel Jones and Melissa Nixon had just become engaged before they allegedly raped a woman at a Bachelor and Spinters ball near Cobram.

Another sister of the alleged victim told the court she pushed her sister to go to the police, saying “too many women go through this”.

Mr Jones, 44, and Ms Nixon, 38, were charged by Wangaratta Sexual Offences and Child Abuse detectives on January 3, 2024.

According to their social media, Ms Nixon is a “stay at home mum” with a side hustle called “Expand your Horizons Academy”, while Mr Jones worked as an operator at Saputo Dairy.

Daniel Jones and Melissa Nixon.

A photo of Mr Jones getting down on one knee proposing was posted by Ms Nixon to Facebook in April 2023, just three months before the alleged rape occurred.

The committal will resume tomorrow, where it will be decided if the case has enough evidence to go to a trial in a higher court.