Nektario Zafiratos facing claims he plied a woman with alcohol before allegedly raping her
A woman who has alleged a Melbourne man raped her told a friend he had “removed her tampon” while she was unconscious.
Melbourne City
Don't miss out on the headlines from Melbourne City. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Melbourne man facing rape and sexual assault charges allegedly removed a tampon from an unconscious woman before sexually assaulting her.
Nektario Zafiratos, 51, was arrested in April after being slapped with 19 charges — 10 counts of rape, four counts of sexual touching without consent, and five counts of procuring a sexual act by fraud.
Nine of the allegations date back to 2021 and 10 are alleged to have occurred this year.
On Thursday in an ongoing committal hearing, sickening claims were heard by the court, as a witness said the complainant had felt her tampon had been removed before the alleged assault.
Mr Zafiratos has not yet entered a plea.
“She said she had been in and out of consciousness, she mentioned a tampon being removed and seeing a condom wrapper later,” the witness told the court.
“She felt him doing something to her body, and saw his skin up close.”
The witness gave further evidence saying that Mr Zafiratos had allegedly plied the complainant with tequila sodas before the alleged assault.
“She said he’d made her drinks, she felt they were strong,” the witness said.
“She said she could hear her own voice and that she felt more intoxicated than she would have normally.”
The court heard Mr Zafiratos had made contact with a separate complainant via the online dating service Seeking Arrangements.
In messages read out to the court, back and forth between the complainant and Mr Zafiratos demonstrated a pay dispute between the pair.
“I’m totally sober, I’m still expecting $10k,” the complainant first texted in February.
Communication between the two escalated, where the complainant accused Mr Zafiratos of exploitation.
“You consented babe, not a rapist,” Mr Zafiratos wrote.
“I consented if you paid me, you f-----g took advantage of me,” the complainant wrote back.
The complainant finished giving evidence and was cross examined in a closed courtroom.
The hearing will continue on Friday, December 15.