Racing driver is CLEARED of raping Michael Schumacher’s nurse at the F1 legend’s villa

An Australian racing driver has been cleared of raping Michael Schumacher’s nurse at the F1 legend’s villa after a court found insufficient evidence of the alleged crime.

Joey Mawson, 30, was accused of raping the nurse twice on November 23, 2019, while she was staying at a mansion owned by Schumacher, 57, in Gland, near Geneva.

Mawson has vehemently denied the allegations and has previously stated the sex was consensual.

In his ruling on Friday, the judge said the court ruled there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to convict Mawson and allowed him to go free a man ‘without blemish on his character’.

Mawson’s lawyer Luc Vaney told the Daily Mail: ‘He is free to go. He is innocent. ‘He will now return to Australia, build his future and continue his life.’

The nurse, who was later sacked from her job at Schumacher’s home, said: ‘I feel terrible. First I was attacked, then I was fired, and now the court has officially declared me a liar.

‘I have been going through hell for the last six years and the court decides not to convict, saying there is reasonable doubt, but no one can believe it, my lawyer is very surprised.

‘I was humiliated and have been in and out of hospital for the last six years. They released him and I’m sure it’s because of the power the Schumacher family has.’

Michael Schumacher (pictured) suffered catastrophic brain injuries during a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013 and has not been seen in public since.

The woman, who left the court in tears, said that she would now pursue the Schumacher family through the labor court for unfair dismissal.

During Tuesday’s hearing, a court in Nyon, Switzerland, heard allegations that the nurse woke up in pain on bloody sheets after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by the racing driver.

Mawson had spent the evening with several of Schumacher’s employees, during which time the nurse had consumed a significant amount of alcohol.

According to the indictment, the young man, who was unable to stand because he was drunk, fell to the ground and was taken to his room by the officers, fully clothed.

Prosecutors claimed the rape later took place in that room.

When the nurse woke up, she was naked and allegedly did not remember what happened.

She later noticed blood on her sheets and felt pain in her vaginal and anal areas.

The nurse told the court she asked a fellow employee what had happened, and she was taken to her room, where she confirmed they had sent Mawson to check on her.

The employee appeared to think nothing was going on, but when he asked Mawson, Mawson allegedly confirmed something was going on.

The prosecutor’s office had requested a 4-year prison sentence.

According to Bild, the court awarded the woman 30,000 Swiss francs (£28,000) in compensation for non-pecuniary damage; This amount is the money the woman can claim in subsequent civil lawsuits.

Mawson told the court on Tuesday that he spent the night in the nurse’s flat and stayed there until the morning because he ‘didn’t want the staff to know about the special moment we had together’.

He added: ‘I didn’t realize how drunk I actually was. It wasn’t until the next morning that I realized how drunk I was.

‘I had assumed throughout the night that he was less drunk than I realized the next morning.’

In his statement, Mawson emphasized that the nurse acted “flirtatiously”, instigated kissing and “they touched each other’s genitals”.

He added: ‘He wasn’t drunk, he was alert and conscious, he was flirting and he managed to get his leg on the pool table.

‘It was clear from his body language that he was flirtatious. ‘I knocked on his room door and he invited me in.’

Mawson said two videos, which were presented to the court but not shown, proved that the nurse was acting ‘lecherously’.

The videos were shot between 10.15pm and around midnight when the alleged crime took place.

He told the court that when he heard the allegations against him, he texted the nurse to apologize and said: ‘I’m sorry for the emotional harm and physical pain I caused you.’

The prosecution read Mawson’s text messages to the nurse, which said: ‘I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart.’

When asked by the trial judge Patricia Cornaz why she did this, she replied: ‘Because I was stunned by the accusations against me. It was a gentlemanly thing to do, but I hadn’t done anything wrong.’

The alleged attack took place at Schumacher’s mansion in Gland, Switzerland (pictured).

The nurse, whose name was not disclosed in the case, was caring for Schumacher, who suffered brain damage during a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013 and has not been seen in public since.

The seven-time F1 champion needs 24-hour care.

Mawson is said to be a friend of Schumacher’s 27-year-old son, Mick Schumacher, who is also a Formula 1 driver, and the pair have raced against each other before in their careers.

No members of the Schumacher family were involved in the rape case.

In his closing statement, prosecutor Xavier Christe emphasized that Mawson’s testimony differed from previous statements he had given to investigators.

He questioned how Mawson had such a vivid memory of some of the events, despite admitting to drinking large amounts of alcohol, particularly vodka and whiskey, on the night of the attack.

Mr Christe also pointed out that Mawson said he could not remember everything but clearly remembered the nurse helping him back into bed after he fell.

He also cited inconsistencies in Mawson’s evidence, in which he initially said a condom was used during consensual sex but later said no protection was used and that the nurse wiped her eyes as she spoke.

The nurse’s lawyer, Mr Michod, explained how, when given the floor, the nurse was employed by the Schumacher family because she was ‘an outstanding and brilliant professional in her job’.

Mr Michod began his closing speech by saying: ‘No words of regret. There is no acceptance of sexual aggression. ‘I expected nothing less from Mr Mawson.’

Giving information about his work as Schumacher’s carer, he said: ‘Since Michael Schumacher’s accident, the eyes of the world have been on the house.

‘They still are, and this was no ordinary job for him; She had an excellent reputation as a nurse, and despite where she worked, she never spoke about her patient, not even to her family, despite all the media attention.

‘During his time there, he was dealing with the consequences of a tragic accident every day, but in addition to his professional work, his other goal was to protect his family.

‘She said nothing about what was going on at the residence and only wanted to protect the Schumacher family but she was subjected to a truly unfair sexual assault.’

Australian race car driver Mawson appeared in court in Nyon, Switzerland, on Tuesday over the incident. Picture: Mawson (left) outside court with one of his lawyers

The court heard allegations that the nurse caring for Michael Schumacher woke up in pain on bloody sheets after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Mawson.

Mawson is a close friend of Schumacher’s son Mick Schumacher, 26 (pictured in 2016)

The trial was first opened in October 2025, but Mawson was unable to attend.

In his absence, the rape case was officially opened, but was later adjourned ‘to a date to be determined’.

mawson He often stayed with the Schumacher family between races to avoid long flights back to Australia.

The court heard that in 2021, two years after the alleged attack, the woman was kicked out of the Schumacher residence and later lodged a complaint.

Mawson said that when he heard about the allegations against him, he discussed them with Schumacher’s son Mick, who told him that the nurse had been dismissed.

He added: ‘Mick asked me if I had any videos and I told him about the videos I shot at the party in 2019 and gave them to him.’

The nurse was later asked to recall what happened to her and, through tears, she told the court: ‘I had been working for the family for six years and had been working for six days straight that night. I was very tired and had nothing to eat.

Later, when I asked Joey if anything happened that night, he said, “Yes.” I contacted my doctor and was referred to another doctor at the university hospital.

‘I did not immediately tell the Schumacher family what happened. I couldn’t remember anything from the night, so I had to ask one of the other staff members in the house.

‘They said I was drunk and Joey carried me to my room. I woke up naked and when I first contacted Joey to ask if something was wrong he said ‘No’ but later he said ‘Yes’.’

After a break for lunch the judge asked Mawson how his career was going and he replied: ‘Pending.’

The Schumacher family did not attend the case and were not listed as witnesses in the trial in Nyon District Court.

Mawson admitted to having a “consensual relationship” with the woman in her 30s and said he had phone messages to prove it.

He also said the woman only filed a complaint against him two years after the alleged assault, after the Schumacher family fired her from her job.

There was no complaint from the victim until January 2022, and the defendant cooperated in the early stages of the investigation.

The nurse had worked for the Schumacher family for six years and belonged to their “inner circle of trust”, according to her lawyer, Patrick Michod.

“In all these years there has been not even the slightest accusation against him,” he told the court at today’s hearing.

Michod spoke of the ‘brutal dismissal’ in 2020 and questioned the official reason for termination.

He said that the nurse experienced this dismissal ‘like a second act of violence’.