Alleged rape victim ‘could have done a lot better’ if she had made up claims against well-connected Melbourne man, court told

The well-connected man, who cannot be named, has pleaded not guilty in Victoria’s county court. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP View image in fullscreen The well-connected man, who cannot be named, has pleaded not guilty in Victoria’s county court. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Alleged rape victim ‘could have done a lot better’ if she had made up claims against well-connected Melbourne man, court told Prosecutor tells court that ‘gaps or inconsistencies’ in the woman’s account ‘enhances her credibility’, but the defence maintains she is lying Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A woman who accused a well-connected Melbourne man of rape “could have done a much better job” if she was inventing the story for money, a Melbourne court has heard. The man, who cannot be named, faces two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, and has pleaded not guilty in Victoria’s county court. The alleged offences occurred in March 2023 after the woman – a former personal assistant for the accused – said she spent an evening drinking and taking cocaine with him, while listening to music and watching the football. It’s alleged by the prosecution that the woman was at the man’s house when he tried to kiss her and sexually assaulted her. He then allegedly raped her twice, the trial previously heard . The accused did not give evidence during the trial, and the alleged victim gave evidence before a closed court. The man’s lawyer, Dermot Dann KC, has told the court the alleged offending never occurred. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email In his final address to the jury, prosecutor Matthew Fisher said the case came down to six key aspects. These included the evidence of the complainant; what happened immediately after the alleged incident, including that she was at the accused’s house when police arrived and was captured speaking to them on a body-worn camera; and her alleged motive to lie. Fisher said trauma did “strange things” to memory, and accounts of sexual assault often differed. He said, however, that the complainant had not wavered in her description of what happened to her in accounts to her mother, police and a doctor in the 24 hours after the alleged incident. He said the jury may also consider there is some “complexity” to her personality, given her demeanour while she gave evidence, though that did not mean she was lying about the allegations. “I concede there were some gaps, some differences, some inconsistencies in her evidence, she was cross-examined for a number of hours about all of those things,” Fisher said. “Mr Dann is a very experienced barrister, he is a very good barrister. “Despite all of that cross-examination she remained adamant about the alleged offending: ‘This happened. This is what he did to me’.” skip past newsletter promotion after newsletter promotion Alleged rape victim wanted to take well-connected Melbourne man for ‘all that he’s worth’, court hears Read more Fisher said these inconsistencies act