High-profile Melbourne man found guilty of raping woman twice

A high-profile Melbourne man has been found guilty of raping a woman twice after a house party, with the jury rejecting his claim of mistaken identity.

A high-profile Melbourne man has been found guilty of raping a woman twice after a house party.

The man, who cannot legally be named, faced trial over two weeks in the County Court after denying he was the person responsible.

Instead, through his barrister David Hallowes SC, he argued the woman was mistaken when she identified him as the perpetrator.

But on Friday, the jury of 12 Victorians returned to court after announcing they had reached a unanimous verdict.

“Guilty,” the foreperson said twice after each count of rape was read to the court.

The high-profile man clutched his face in his hands and threw his head back, and family members began sobbing.

After the verdict, he sat hunched forward. clutching his face in his hands slowly shaking his head.

Summing up the Crown’s case, Crown prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams said the woman had been “consistent, cogent and compelling” about what happened in the almost two years since she was raped.

“She’s not mistaken, she’s not confused, she’s told you what happened; she was raped by (the high-profile man),” he said.

More to come.

Originally published as High-profile Melbourne man found guilty of raping woman twice