'You're a rapist': Survivor blasts former friend who repeatedly abused her

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to sexual assault.

A woman repeatedly abused by a former friend says she still thinks about his “disgusting actions” and “the violation” of her body every day, seven years later.

The prosecution of Angus Ross Lewis McKay began after a government-ordered review that aimed to understand why so few sexual offence cases reported to police progressed to charge.

It resulted in him pleading guilty to five sexual or indecent assault-related charges on the first occasion he faced court.

When his sentencing hearing took place in the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday (29 January), the woman who survived his abuse appeared in court in person to ask for the judge to consider “the extent of the darkness he has caused”.

“You violated my mind, my body. You stripped me of my autonomy, my self-worth and, subsequently, my will to live,” the survivor told McKay.

“You are a self-proclaimed woman’s rights advocate … You expressed your disgust towards sexism and oppression.

“And with that all I have to say to you now is, Angus McKay, you’re a rapist.”

In 2018, McKay met her at the house she had been staying in so they could catch up.

The survivor said she took her medications and told him they would soon make her fall asleep, but she said he asked her if he could sleep the night there.

She agreed, but she said he followed her into bed and got in beside her before she lost consciousness.

McKay then repeatedly touched her body without her consent, even though she shrugged him off, made snoring noises and fell asleep. He then digitally raped her for an hour.

“I instantly went into shock. I could feel all of my strength suddenly leaving my body,” the survivor said.

“My body was no longer mine, yet I could feel every rough and unwanted touch.

“For seven excruciating hours I just lay there, dead-alive.”

She said she fell in and out of consciousness during the repeated assaults and the pain she felt when he raped her was “agonising”.

The survivor’s mother also appeared in court and told McKay he “took full advantage of her for your own gratification and power” in a “selfish and disgraceful event” that “brought my daughter to her knees”.

“You decided that her kindness and friendship was put in front of you to use however you wanted,” the mother told McKay.

“The trauma sits in the fibres of her body and her brain.”

Psychologist Tabitha Frew said McKay’s narrative was that he believed the incident was consensual at the time.

It was the psychologist’s opinion that when he went to visit the survivor, he had it in his mind they were going to have sex. Ms Frew thought that afterwards, he definitely knew what he had done was wrong and that he had taken advantage of her.

“I wasn’t the type of person to ask a girl, ‘is this okay, can I touch you, do you like this’,” McKay told the psychologist.

“At the time, I didn’t know how to ask those questions. I didn’t realise they were relevant.”

Prosecutor Gretta Cuthel said the Sexual Assault (Police) Review, or SAPR review, examined this case in 2023, and a decision was made that day to commence prosecution.

She argued that a full-time jail sentence was warranted.

Barrister Tahn O’Rourke suggested the court could sentence her client to an intensive corrections order, which is a type of community-based sentence.

She said this was due to the development of her client’s insight and remorse. She said he had gone to police after the SAPR review in 2023, made admissions to them and said he believed what he had done wasn’t consensual.

McKay pleaded guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent and four counts of committing an act of indecency without consent on the first day his charges were heard in court.

Justice Verity McWilliam will hand down her sentence on 19 February.

The SAPR review is an ACT Government-ordered review of sexual assault cases reported to ACT Policing that were not progressed to charge, including those deemed unfounded, uncleared or withdrawn.

It aimed to understand why so few sexual offence cases reported to ACT Policing progressed to charge in 2020 and 2021.

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.