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Aussie
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greggerypeccary wrote on Jul 4 th, 2024 at 11:56am: Quote:The woman who accused former Liberal party staffer Bruce Lehrmann of raping her in Toowoomba told police she was passed out and “woke up” to find him penetrating her and that he consoled her by saying “it’s OK, it’s OK” after she’d told him to stop.
Lehrmann was today committed to stand trial on two counts of rape after his defence team made an unsuccessful attempt to have the charges thrown out.
No plea has been entered and Lehrmann intends to fight the allegations.
The court heard the woman had been out drinking with friends and continued on to strip club The Vault, consuming four lines of cocaine in the hope she’d be “sober” enough to gain entry.
Once inside, the court heard she began talking to a man who she claims initially said his name was Bryce.
The court heard the pair caught a taxi back to the home of a school friend of Lehrmann where they got into bed together and had consensual sex.
During the night, they consumed more cocaine after Lehrmann discovered it in her bra, the hearing was told.
Crown prosecutor Nicole Friedewald said the woman said she was unconscious and woke to find Lehrmann penetrating her.
“Whilst (this) was occurring, the complainant had told the defendant to stop,” she told the court of the prosecution’s case.
“He confirmed to her that he was not wearing a condom, despite her insistence the night before that he do so during that one act of consensual intercourse.
“She then physically brought charge one, the act of penetration, to an end by positioning her body, forcing the defendant’s penis out of her body and despite all of this and these interactions, he immediately climbed on top of her and performed another act of sexual intercourse without wearing a condom once more.
“He did nothing, in my submission, to ascertain that she was consenting -
and to the contrary, her evidence is that he was consoling her throughout that act saying ‘it’s OK, it’s OK’.
“She describes her body as being limp and that she was not enthusiastic. He continued having intercourse with her until he ejaculated inside of her.”
Defence barrister Andrew Hoare argued the woman did not disclose any allegation of rape for some time, including later that morning, on October 10, 2021, when she asked Lehrmann to drive her to a chemist for the morning after pill.
“My client is absent and in a vehicle outside,” he told the court.
He said while inside, the woman was required to fill in a form that provided four options as to why she might need the morning after pill.
They included contraceptive failure (a split condom), missed contraceptive pills or diarrhoea or vomiting, sexual assault and contraception not used.
Mr Hoare said the woman ticked option one - contraceptive failure - and indicated that her last sexual activity had been two hours earlier.
”Just on two hours since the last sexual intercourse, the complainant does not tick that box,” he said.
He said she also did not make any disclosures at several medical appointments over the following days - including two where her mental health was discussed and a third where she was tested for STDs.
Mr Hoare said text messages to friends later that day included that she’d “had a bunch of fun with my friends” the night before.
He said a forensic medical report from a doctor - who the court heard did not meet with or receive any blood or breathe samples from the complainant - indicated the combination of alcohol and cocaine may have caused memory loss.
“The complainant using the term ‘I woke up’ is in fact a simile for ‘my next memory is this’,” Mr Hoare said.
Ms Friedewald said the woman disclosed the alleged rapes to two friends on November 6.
“It is not an uncommon occurrence for victims of offences of this kind to wait days, weeks...
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High Profile Case in Toowoomba (Read 22312 times)
