High-profile Melbourne man is found guilty of raping a woman in his home - but we still can't tell you who he is

By PAUL SHAPIRO, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 02:32, 28 July 2026 | Updated: 02:32, 28 July 2026 The high-profile Melbourne man who can't be named has been found guilty of raping a woman in his own home after he claimed the entire incident was fabricated. The man, well-known in Melbourne social circles, cannot be named for legal reasons, but was immediately put into custody as a new legal row broke out about identifying him. He appeared at Melbourne County Court on Tuesday where the jury of nine women and three men found him guilty of two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following a 13-day trial. A fresh court hearing at 3pm will decide if he can finally now be named publicly.  The jury, which went out to deliberate about 11.30am on Friday, heard the rapist invited the victim to his home on March 23, 2023, where they allegedly drank wine and used cocaine together. It was alleged he told her she was a 'good kisser', though the complainant claims she does not remember kissing him. The pair discussed boundaries, with the woman telling the man she wasn't interested in him sexually and 'never would be'. She also told him she was not attracted to him and did not want a relationship. The high-profile man was found guilty of rape The court heard the woman believed he 'seemed to accept' her boundaries.  The pair allegedly consumed cocaine before preparing to go out to a friend's house to watch the football. Later that evening, the man and the victim returned to his Melbourne home after the game ended. They allegedly used more cocaine before the accused said he was tired and wanted to go to bed. The jury heard that the man got into bed while the woman followed him into his room and sat on a lounge chair in front of the bed. The court was told the victim became upset and confided in the accused about 'difficulties' she had experienced in a recent relationship. The man then allegedly picked her up and pulled her onto his bed as she started crying. He is accused of trying to kiss her, but she pushed him away. He then touched her breast, waist and buttocks, and attempted to put his hand between her legs. Top silk Dermot Dann KC (above) defended the high-profile man The woman tried to push him off and told him to stop, the court heard.  'I don't want this,' the woman told him. Prosecutor Matt Fisher told the jury the rapist then said, 'You are so sexy,' and, 'I can't stop, I need your help to sleep, help me.' The jury heard that the pair remained on the bed but separated, with the woman holding a pillow against her chest and quietly crying under the blanket. The man then pulled the blanket off her and penetrated her with his finger. The court heard the woman 'did not respond' when she felt the man's hand and closed her eyes. She allegedly heard and felt the accused removing his pants, before feeling him penetrate her with his penis. Prosecutor Fisher told the jury the rapist penetrated her a second time in quick succession as he raped her for a second time. The trial was heard at the Melbourne County Court The jury heard the woman then punched the man in the nose, prompting him to grab his face and say, 'You've broken my nose.' She jumped from the bed and yelled, 'You're a f***ing rapist.' The accused responded,'I knew I shouldn't have drunk,' and said his 'nose was f***ed'. 'Why did I drink? Why did I do this?' the man said, according to Mr Fisher. 'Shut the f*** up. You've just done this to me. You're a rapist,' the woman allegedly replied. The jury heard the man allegedly responded: 'It's not rape. I was using my fingers.' 'That's still rape, you can't just do that. Also, you didn't just use your fingers, I felt you used your d***,' the woman said. The man then told the woman to order an Uber and leave his house. The woman replied that she was 'too exhausted' to go and instead wanted to sleep in another room. About half an hour later, the court heard, she found the man lying in the spare room bed. She allegedly told him she 'wanted to fix this'. 'She told him that she didn't want to cause any problems or trouble and wanted to figure this out so they could just move on,' the jury heard. The woman claimed she saw the man in bed with the blanket pulled down and his pants off, and that he began masturbating. It was alleged that he then asked her to 'do it for him'. The request shocked the woman, the court heard, who slammed the door and returned to the room where she had been sleeping. While in the room, she typed out what had occurred and sent the notes to her mother. The court heard the woman told her mother that the man had raped her both digitally and with his penis. Her mother called Triple-0, informed her daughter that police had been notified, and told her an officer would be in touch. The woman spoke with police just before 4am on March 24, 2023, and provided the man's address. Police arrived at the house later that morning and spoke with the woman at the front door. Judge Frank Gucciardo presided over the trial The jury heard the accused man was elsewhere in the house at the time. Most of the 30-minute conversation was captured on body-worn camera before the woman was taken to a police station. She was later examined by a forensic medical doctor. The court heard the woman had met the accused in August 2022 and had briefly worked for him. In March 2023, the woman and the man met up again after she had left his employment, the jury heard. The court heard the woman saw the man's company tagged in a Facebook group called Local Girls 21 Plus. She allegedly noticed photographs and personal details in the group, so she emailed the man suggesting one of his staff remove all former employees from access to the company's social media accounts. The court heard the man offered to pay the woman to remove the Facebook tag, saying he was 'happy to do that'. 'I miss you not being around,' he told her. The woman recalled having 'very fond memories' of working with the man, and a few days later, he allegedly offered her work on a new project. 'I would love to work with you again,' the man said. It is then alleged the woman travelled by train to his home at about 3pm on March 23, where the pair drank wine hours before the rapes. The man, who was defended by top silk Dermot Dann KC, will face court at a later date for a pre-sentence hearing. Judge Frank Gucciardo presided over the trial.  Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.