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A high-profile Melbourne businessman is facing a jury trial after he was charged with repeatedly raping a personal assistant several decades his junior after what police allege was a night of drinking and consuming cocaine.
The public figure, who cannot be named due to a suppression order over his identity, faced the County Court on Wednesday where a jury heard he met the then 27-year-old woman in 2022 after she contacted him to express interest in working for him while she studied.
“He told [her] about some projects that he had on the go, including an autobiography and a film script. Those things excited [the complainant] and in her mind at least, they appeared to get on well,” prosecutor Matthew Fisher said.
The prosecution alleges she got the job and was soon invited to his house for drinks with another man in August 2022 with an Uber sent to collect her.
Once the two were alone, the prosecution alleges the accused rapist tried to kiss the woman who says she replied: “If I let you do this, if I let you f–k me, you’ll never respect me as your employee. I don’t want that to be the role I play in your life. I’ll never want to have sex with you. The sooner you understand that the better.”
She then allegedly got into his bed, later telling police she did not want to be alone while coming off drugs, and the pair slept.
The court heard the woman went on to work for the businessman for some time, but the working relationship ceased in November 2022 after a dinner with others at a St Kilda restaurant and further alleged attempts to touch her in a sexual manner at his home.
“She told the accused she could not be around that world and those people any more,” Fisher said.
Months later in March 2023, the pair reconnected, and the woman was offered work on his current project. Days later, it’s alleged she visited the man’s home to discuss the project where they consumed wine and cocaine and watched television at an associate’s home in South Melbourne.
On their return to his home, the prosecution alleges the woman began to cry and speak of the breakdown of a recent relationship when the accused man pulled her from a lounge and onto his bed, telling her he’d take care of her.
The woman says that’s when the accused touched her breasts and buttocks and tried to put his hand between her legs before she pushed him away.
“You’re so sexy, I can’t stop, I need your help to sleep, help me, I need to,” he allegedly replied.
The man then allegedly raped the woman before she turned around and punched him in the nose and was told to leave.
Fisher said the woman chose to stay, telling her boss she was exhausted and later wanted to “fix this”, not cause problems or trouble, and work things out so they could move on.
When he allegedly began to masturbate in front of her, the woman said she slammed the door and went to a spare room where she texted her mother, who called the police.
While initially reluctant to speak to the police, Fisher said at 3.40am she took a call from an officer and later let them into the man’s house where she remained.
The accused man has since pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual assault and two counts of rape.
Defence barrister Dermot Dann, KC, said his client was innocent and denied ever making any sexual advances towards the personal assistant.
“This whole case rests on you accepting that she is a woman of truth and reliability,” he told the jury.
“We say there is a massive issue in respect to [her] credibility … reliability … plausibility.”
Pointing to his client seated behind him in the dock, Dann said the woman never stayed at the man’s house in October or November 2022, and he never provided her with cocaine, including on what had been described as a black marble plate.
Dann said while there was no dispute that the woman attended the accused man’s home on March 24, 2023, he maintains she only came back to his house after watching television because she refused to leave, and helped herself to alcohol.
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