A woman who accused a well-connected Melbourne man of rape "could have done a much better job" if she was inventing the story for money, a Melbourne court has heard. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The man, who cannot be named, faces two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, and has pleaded not guilty in Victoria's county court. The alleged offences occurred in March 2023 after the woman – a former personal assistant for the accused – said she spent an evening drinking and taking cocaine with him, while listening to music and watching the football.
In his final address to the jury, prosecutor Matthew Fisher said the case came down to six key aspects, including the evidence of the complainant; what happened immediately after the alleged incident, including that she was at the accused's house when police arrived and was captured speaking to them on a body-worn camera; and her alleged motive to lie. Fisher said trauma did "strange things" to memory, and accounts of sexual assault often differed. He said the complainant had not wavered in her description of what happened to her in accounts to her mother, police and a doctor in the 24 hours after the alleged incident.
Fisher conceded there were "some gaps, some differences, some inconsistencies" in her evidence, but said these inconsistencies actually underlined the truthfulness of the alleged victim. "If she really wanted to make all this up … she could have done a better job. Could have done a lot better," he said. "She would have been clear and consistent, from start to finish, if this was … part of this masterplan to get the accused in trouble, or get some money from him." Fisher said the existence of gaps or inconsistencies "enhances her credibility".
The man's lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, has told the court the alleged offending never occurred. He described the allegation made by the complainant against police as false in his opening statement. The court heard from two police who were involved in pulling the complainant over for drink-driving in 2019. The complainant accused one of the officers of saying to her "I love getting little sluts like you off the road" in a complaint she made to police in 2022. On Tuesday, the officers both denied making the comment. Fisher criticised the evidence of the senior officer, Det Sen Cons David Barlow, saying that he was "loose" and "untrue", and that the jury could find he had made the comment to the complainant.
The accused did not give evidence during the trial, and the alleged victim gave evidence before a closed court. The trial continues.