Jurors in rape trial of high-profile man urged to reject ‘ulterior motive’ claim

Jurors at the trial of a high-profile man accused of rape have been asked to reject the alleged victim’s claim that she made up the allegations in order to “get money from the accused man”.

The prominent Melbourne businessman, who cannot be named due to a suppression order, is on trial after denying two charges of rape and one charge of sexual assault.

Prosecutors allege the man raped the woman in 2023 after a night of drinking and using cocaine.

The woman allegedly punched the man in the face and called him a “fucking rapist”, to which the man responded: “That’s not rape, I was using my fingers.”

The accused man’s defense, led by lawyer Dermot Dann KC, argued that the alleged events did not happen and that the woman had a reason to lie.

Prosecutor Matthew Fisher, who began his closing argument to the jury on Wednesday, acknowledged there were gaps, differences and inconsistencies in the woman’s testimony.

“The central issue in this case is whether the accused man (the woman) did the things she claims he did to her in the bedroom?” he said.

“Not once did he back away from the alleged sexual offense… He was consistent and adamant that that was what he did to her in that room that night.”

Mr Fisher said he expected the accused man’s defense to argue that the woman made up the allegations to get money or that the defendant was in trouble.

But if that were true, he said, “he could have done a better job.”

Mr Fisher pointed out that the woman continued to speak positively about her former boss and the messages she sent to her mother on the night of the alleged rape.

These included saying she didn’t want to go to the police, that she “agreed not to tell anyone for the sake of her reputation” and that she loved the man, believed in his vision and that he was “bigger than his actions.”

“This is a case where the defense will argue that there was an ulterior motive in making these allegations against you (the woman),” Mr Fisher said.

“If he wanted to make up for all of this, it would be the last thing he would do.”

At the start of the hearing, Mr Dann said on behalf of the defendant that the alleged events never happened and that there were “major” issues about the woman’s credibility and trustworthiness.

“The prosecution’s case depends on you, ladies and gentlemen, accepting (the woman) as a witness of truth and reliability,” he said.

“There is a huge disagreement in the defense case regarding these issues.”

The trial continues.