Five people were arrested and were due to appear in court over an alleged gang rape in Adelaide over the weekend.
It is alleged that on Saturday, December 3, two women were sexually assaulted between 11pm and 12:30am in a car park near Adelaide’s main entertainment district.
The two women reportedly walked past the Hotel Plaza parking lot early Sunday morning, where they were reportedly involved in an “alcohol and cannabis fueled incident.”
They were then raped by seven men for half an hour.
One of the women managed to escape, but when she realized her friend was still caught, she ran back to help and was raped a second time.
In the following days, five people, including two youths, were arrested over the Hindley St incident.
The parking lot of the Plaza Hotel in Hindley St, where a gang rape is reported to have taken place. Photo: Shashi Baltutis
A 20-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested on Sunday and charged with rape and stood before Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.
On Monday, a 17-year-old Blair Athol boy was arrested and charged with rape, and later appeared before Adelaide Youth Court where he was denied bail.
A second 17-year-old boy, accused of offering to pay one of the victims to prevent her from going to the police, was arrested on Tuesday and was also refused bail in Adelaide Youth Court.
On the same day, a 23-year-old Kensington man was charged with two counts of rape.
The identities of the men have been withheld by court order, and state law prohibits juveniles from being named either.
A 21-year-old Clearview man was arrested on Wednesday. At Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, he faced Magistrate Justin Wickens, charged with two counts of sexual intercourse with a person without consent, and one count of persuading a witness to withhold testimony or give false testimony.
Five men have been charged in the alleged incident, including a 23-year-old man (pictured) whose identity was suppressed by the court
Two women were allegedly raped in this car park just off one of Adelaide’s busiest streets. Photo: Shashi Baltutis
Prosecutors alleged that the second youth contacted one of the victims and offered her $4,000 to “not give evidence or give false testimony.”
One of the women then contacted police, who visited the home of the 21-year-old Clearview man, where he was arrested and found with the $4,000 in his possession.
“Police found money equal to the induced payment,” prosecutors said.
Magistrate Wickens told the 21-year-old’s counsel that he had bigger problems than money-related matters, with the prosecution also revealing that the 21-year-old was known to one of the alleged victims.
“I would think your main problem is that one of the alleged victims in this case knows this man and says he is one of the people who hurt herself and her boyfriend in the stairwell,” Mr Wickens said.
One of the women escaped but went back to rescue her friend before she was allegedly raped again, the court heard on Wednesday
The 21-year-old’s counsel, James Noblett, said those charges of calling a witness against his client were weak and no reason to deny him bail.
‘As your honor knows, there are always two sides to a coin; that will come with an explanation in due course, so I’ll keep my powder dry,’ Mr Noblett said.
“My client denies any wrongdoing in this,” he said.
Mr Wickens denied the man bail and held him until next week, keeping his identity a secret from the public.
