Son of high-profile man found guilty of two counts of rape

In the second bedroom, the victim had consensual sex with the defendant’s friend, arriving home just after 2 a.m. before leaving to call an Uber and drive home.

After the boyfriend left, the attacker went to the victim’s room and told her the man’s Uber was canceled, he couldn’t get another one and he would be back upstairs shortly, McWilliams said.

“None of this was true,” McWilliams said.

“The defendant closed the door and left. A short time later, the bedroom door opened and closed rapidly. The lights were not on and blackout curtains were drawn on the windows.”

Realizing that the person who entered was not the man she had just had sex with, the victim told police that the person climbed onto her bed, reached forward and put his hands on her vagina.

“She did not consent to being penetrated by the defendant. This surprised the complainant [who said] ‘Wait, wait,'” Williams said.

The incident continued until the victim was able to escape. When she asked if it was her boyfriend who left and came back, she replied, “Yes, it’s me, why not?”

“You look so similar [the offender]replied the woman.

Refusing to turn on the light, McWilliams said the attacker raped the woman again, holding her and her hands down even though she was told to stop.

The woman said she was eventually able to free her hands and feel the person’s hair and face, which she said matched her attacker’s.

She then fled the room, slamming the door behind her, but not before the victim said he could see her long hair in the light of the corridor.

The victim left home at 2.24am and, in a distressed state, contacted friends and family and told them she had been raped.

The offender began texting and calling his friend around 8.30am, obtaining a copy of his Uber bill and changing the ride time to suggest the friend not leave the house until 2.37am.

“Yes, do not interfere for now, let me handle it,” the criminal wrote.

“Just say you’re coming in [the complaint’s] room when your Uber is cancelled. I just want to make sure [her] Lies will not destroy us.”

The victim reported the incident to the police and had a recorded telephone conversation with the attacker, telling him that this would be real reassurance if he could “move on with his life”.

“These were rapes that were committed through deception, at least initially, rather than through threats, force, or any use of additional violence,” McWilliams said.

“He then attempted to avoid accountability through further deception.”

Defense lawyer David Hallowes, SC, said his client maintained his innocence in the two rape cases.

Hallowes said the five character references showed his client was a humble, respectful and honest person who was respectful to all people.

He said it made no sense for his client to commit the crime just one room away from where his girlfriend, whom he deeply admired, was sleeping.

“He is innocent of both of these charges,” Hallowes said.

“Witnesses who believe what they say can misunderstand things. We say he misunderstood things.

“He didn’t go into that room, he didn’t get into the bed, he didn’t commit the alleged crimes.

“Was this really a close-knit group of friends, or… were some just closer than others?”

The case will return for a plea hearing next week.

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