Man, 18, accused of rape at The Cube Hotel

An 18-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of rape. He is alleged to have assaulted a woman who was dating one of his friends at the time.

A man is accused of raping a woman at The Cube Hotel in Toowoomba.

A TRIAL is under way in the Toowoomba District Court to decide if a young man is guilty of rape.

The 18-year-old man is alleged to have digitally penetrated the complainant while they sat with a group of friends at the Cube Hotel on August 1, 2020.

On Monday he pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape.

Crown Prosecutor Ellen Fletcher opened the Crown’s case by saying the complainant and the accused had been introduced to each other a few hours before the alleged rape.

“The complainant went to the Cube Hotel with her then-boyfriend and a friend,” she said.

“About 1am the accused arrived with four of his friends, one of whom knew the complainant’s boyfriend.”

Ms Fletcher said the group shared a table at the hotel for about an hour.

She said CCTV footage showed the complainant and accused talking and laughing.

The court heard that about 1.50am the complainant felt a hand working its way up her skirt followed by a finger penetrating her genitalia.

Ms Fletcher said the complainant then left with her boyfriend and friend and told them what had happened.

Later the complainant sent messages to the defendant about the alleged rape.

“He said he did it because he thought she looked sexy,” Ms Fletcher said.

The complaint then reported the matter to police who recorded a second conversation where the accused is alleged to have again said he digitally penetrated the complainant.

Police arrested the accused a short time later, at his home.

“On the way out, he went to the kitchen sink and started scrubbing his finger,” Ms Fletcher said. “Police asked him to stop and he did.”

Defence barrister Stephen Kissick kept his opening remarks short and said CCTV footage of the incident was inconclusive.

“The is a reconstruction of events by the complainant,” he said.

The trial continues.