Thierry Canape found not guilty by jury after three day rape trial

A Canadian landscaper has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting and raping a woman while on a Tinder date at a waterfall on the outskirts of Cairns.

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A Canadian landscaper has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting and raping a woman while on a Tinder date at a waterfall on the outskirts of Cairns.

Thierry Canape, 38, pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual assault and one count of rape after it was alleged that he bit and orally raped a young woman while they were on a Tinder date at a secluded waterfall near Cairns.

The jury retired to consider their verdict at 4pm on Tuesday, returning after only half an hour of deliberation to deliver their verdict of not guilty and acquitting Mr Canape.

Mr Canape’s defence counsel James Sheridan told the jury there was a lot of prejudice involved in a case like this during his closing arguments.

He asked the jury to base their verdict on the evidence put before them and not on any sympathies or prejudices they may hold.

Mr Sheridan noted that Mr Canape chose to “front up” and give evidence which was clear and concise “exposing himself and giving a full and frank account, warts and all”.
Mr Sheridan argued that Mr Canape never touched the woman’s vagina and that the actions he did take were with a true and reasonable belief that she was consenting.

Mr Sheridan described a build up of intimacy over a period of one and a half to two hours and told the jury that when the woman told Mr Canape to stop he stopped.

“He knew the boundaries and he respected those,” he said.

He said it was a date between two adults and told the jury Mr Canape was “exploring legitimate boundaries”.

“This is not about a bloke who picked up a woman, full of grog, in the early hours at a nightclub dragging her back to his house and having his way with her.”

Mr Sheridan also highlighted inconsistencies that were presented during the trial between the complainant’s evidence and what witnesses said she had told them.

Mr Canape was acquitted on all charges.

Originally published as Thierry Canape found not guilty by jury after three day rape trial