Thierry Canape faces trial accused of biting and raping Canadian tourist on Stoney Creek Tinder date
A man told his Tinder date he was a rainforest guide before taking her on a date to an isolated stream in Far North Queensland where he allegedly raped and bit her, a court has heard.
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A man told a tourist he was a rainforest guide before taking her on a Tinder date to an isolated rainforest stream near Cairns where he allegedly raped and sexually assaulted her.
Thierry Canape, a Canadian national, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of rape and one charge of sexual assault in Cairns District Court.
An initial attempt at trial was abandoned on Thursday with Judge Dean Morzone declaring a mistrial before a new jury was empaneled on Friday.
Mr Canape is accused of raping a young Canadian woman during a Tinder date.
The court heard Mr Canape took the woman to Stoney Creek in Kamarunga on the outskirts of Cairns in August 2023 where he allegedly bit her on the bottom and raped her orally.
Crown prosecutor Tegan Grasso said the woman was travelling around Australia when the pair matched on Tinder before starting a conversation and following each other on Instagram.
“They had a conversation and the defendant told her he was a rainforest tour guide, and they arranged to meet that day,” Ms Grasso said.
He picked her up from Cairns City and drove her to Stoney Creek falls.
Ms Grasso told the jury it was an isolated area unfamiliar to the woman and her only way of leaving was with Mr Canape in his car.
“They walked for 15 minutes from the carpark up to a waterfall, and they went for a swim,” she said.
Ms Grasso said Mr Canape wrapped a towel around her and hugged her from behind when she said she was cold and the pair kissed.
“She ended up pulling away, but the defendant’s behaviour at that point persisted.
“He persisted in trying to kiss her and pull her closer to him and she would find excuses to move away from him.”
The woman then made an excuse to leave and the pair walked back towards the carpark.
The court heard it was when they were walking up a steep part of the track with Mr Canape directly behind the complainant, that he bit her on the bottom and “she yelped in pain”.
Ms Grasso told the court he then held her hips and sexually assaulted her.
“He pulled away after a few seconds and laughed it off,” Ms Grasso told the jury.
They kept walking and she got him to drop her home where she told two friends what had happened to her.
Mr Canape’s defence counsel James Sheridan advised the jury to consider two things — what occurred at Stoney Creek, and whether what occurred through the complainant’s consent or the defendant’s reasonable mistake about that consent.
Mr Sheridan asked the jury to consider the circumstances through which the pair met up, possible inconsistencies in the reports provided to friends, and the possible reasons there could be for him not to respond to the message from the complainant after the alleged incident.
The trial is expected to last up to three days.
Mr Canape is expected to give evidence on Monday.
The trial continues.
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Originally published as Thierry Canape faces trial accused of biting and raping Canadian tourist on Stoney Creek Tinder date
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