Paralowie man William Trotter faces court charged over alleged 1988 rape

Thirty-five years after he allegedly raped a woman jogging on Torrens Rd, the man accused could barely stand as he faced court for the first time.

A man charged over an alleged horrific sexual assault after being linked by DNA almost 35 years later has gasped for air as he appeared in court for the first time.

William Trotter, 62, needed to use his inhaler during the brief hearing in which Magistrate Jayanthi Pandya questioned the leniency of bail conditions imposed on him when he was arrested more than a month ago.

Mr Trotter, of Paralowie, on Thursday faced the court charged with five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse without consent.

He was arrested and charged in late November after a DNA match linked him to the alleged sexual assault of a woman in August 1988.

Police alleged the woman was jogging on Torrens Rd at Croydon when she was threatened by Mr Trotter, who they say was armed with a knife.

William Trotter leaving Port Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

William Trotter leaving Port Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

They alleged Mr Trotter then dragged her into a car, drove her somewhere nearby and sexually assaulted her.

The woman, police alleged, managed to break free and sought help from a member of the public before reporting the alleged assault to police who were able to collect forensic evidence.

A police prosecutor on Thursday told the court Mr Trotter was arrested following a match from a high vaginal swab taken back in 1988, and that the alleged victim was a complete stranger to him.

The court on Thursday heard Mr Trotter had one alleged victim, but a police decision to release him on simple bail rather than subject him to more restrictive conditions was queried by Ms Pandya.

“These are particularly serious allegations and the conditions imposed by police are, in my view, not adequate,” she said.

William Trotter was arrested after a DNA match linked him to an alleged rape in 1988. Picture: Facebook

Jovanka Ivanic, for Mr Trotter, did not object to the court imposing supervision, making her client surrender his passport, and a non-contact clause being put in place to protect the alleged victim.

A police prosecutor told the court the non-contact clause, which is typically almost guaranteed in any allegations of sexual assault, was not initially included because of fears Mr Trotter may learn the victim’s name – which he did not know previously.

“It is an historic rape, it was also a stranger rape … if the name of the victim was put on the bail conditions there may be further concerns raised from that,” the prosecutor said.

He will next face court in April.

Originally published as Paralowie man William Trotter faces court charged over alleged 1988 rape