Rape accused in bid to keep identity secret

The man has been the subject of national attention but cannot be named because current Queensland law protects the identity of people charged with serious sexual offences until they are committed to trial.

Toowoomba courthouse. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

A high-profile man accused of raping a young woman in Queensland will seek to keep his identity suppressed when new disclosure laws come into effect in October.

The man has been the subject of national attention but cannot be named because current Queensland law protects the identity of people charged with serious sexual offences until they are committed to trial.

Law changes passed by state parliament last week come into effect on October 3 and will allow adults charged with rape, attempted rape and sexual assault to be named.

Under new laws, the high-profile man and his alleged victim could both apply for a non-publication order, but not until October 3.

Lawyer Rowan King, acting for the man, told the court in Aug­ust that he intended to make an application to keep his client’s name suppressed if parliament passed law changes.

Magistrate Kay Philipson said making an application before laws began would be “premature”.

Earlier this year, several media organisations, including News Corp Australia, unsuccessfully applied to the court seeking permission to name the man in the proceedings.

Lawyer Rowan King leaves Toowoomba Cour tHouse. A high-profile man has been charged with two counts of rape relating to an incident in October 2021. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Police charged the man with two counts of rape in January over an alleged attack in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane, in October 2021.

“Thousands” of pages worth of phone data have been reviewed by prosecutors in the case, the court was told on Wednesday.

The new development in the case follows a request by his lawyers for a full forensic download of the complainant’s phone during an earlier court appearance.

On Wednesday, crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald told the court the phone download had been received by her office.

“It does cover many thousands of pages and the prosecution is currently working its way through that material in order to satisfy disclosure obligations,” Ms Friedewald said.

“There remains some 800 pages left to review.”

The court was told it could take another week to finish analysis of the material.

Mr King said he did not oppose a six-week adjournment sought by the Director of Public Prosecutions).

“The material will need to be delivered to my office and then we need to review it,” Mr King said.

The man’s case was adjourned to November 1.