Overview
- A County Court jury found the man guilty of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault after three days of deliberation Tuesday.
- Prosecutors told jurors the 27-year-old complainant visited his converted warehouse in March 2023 to discuss work and that the pair drank alcohol and used cocaine before the assaults.
- The defence rejected the allegations, saying the woman was an unreliable witness with a financial motive to lie and pointing to inconsistencies in her account.
- His identity remains covered by suppression orders that have been in place for more than three years, his lawyers have sought an extension, and he was remanded in custody to return for further hearings.
- The case underlines tensions in Victoria over reporting restrictions, with The Age noting nearly 500 suppression orders last year including 247 in the County Court, and the complainant gave extended testimony during the two-week trial as sentencing steps await.