Man accused of choking, assaulting ex-partner during alleged rape

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to alleged sexual abuse and family violence.

Concerns over the violent acts allegedly inflicted during a sexual assault at a woman’s home earlier this month have seen the man accused of the attack remanded in custody.

The man allegedly raped his ex-partner twice, choked her until she passed out and assaulted her in an attempt to have sex with her at her home on 9 October 2024.

ACT Policing said the woman went to Belconnen Police Station to report the alleged sexual assault a few days later.

Investigators from the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Team began inquiries and arrested the 37-year-old man from Curtin on Thursday (17 October).

He was charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and one count each of aggravated sexual assault in the second and third degrees when he faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday (18 October).

He did not enter pleas to his charges and applied for bail, which the prosecutor opposed.

The man’s defence lawyer, Legal Aid’s Lesley Jayasuriya, said the investigation into the allegations appeared to be well-advanced as police had interviewed both the woman and his client, while she had undergone a medical examination and he had participated in a forensic procedure.

Mr Jayasuriya said his client worked full-time in the transport industry and could lose his job if he was remanded in custody.

Also, it had been four years since his client was last sentenced for an offence, a common assault in 2020, so the lawyer argued there had been a significant gap since he was last before the courts.

The prosecutor alleged there may have been some degree of planning to the man’s offending as he texted his ex-partner in the morning asking if she was home before going there later that day.

She alleged the man had shown complete disregard for the bodily autonomy of the woman, and she called the alleged offending “brazen and erratic”.

The woman’s concerns about the man being released to bail were “certainly well-founded”, the prosecutor argued.

Magistrate Robert Cook said the charges were “very serious”. He said the man had cooperated with police but had put forward an opposite version of events to what the woman claimed.

He was concerned about the man’s likelihood of allegedly reoffending due to his criminal history and the alleged acts of violence against his ex-partner.

Magistrate Cook was not satisfied the bail conditions were appropriate enough and refused bail.

The matter was adjourned to November. The man legally cannot be named to protect the identity of his ex-partner.

If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.