'I'll make it worth it': Man, 24, is accused of 'raping teenage girl after grooming her with Snapchat messages'

By WAYNE FLOWER, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 07:59, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 07:59, 13 August 2026 A young man has been accused of grooming a teenage girl on Snapchat after meeting her at a neighbourhood house party and then allegedly raping her.  Lachlan Young, 24, of Sebastopol in country Victoria, has pleaded not guilty in the County Court of Victoria to raping the 16-year old when he was aged 21.  In opening the trial on Thursday, Crown prosecutor Andrew Buckland, KC told the jury Young used the mobile messaging app Snapchat to groom his alleged victim after meeting her on the night of February 4, 2024.  The court heard Young's alleged victim had enjoyed a few drinks with friends earlier that night before settling on a couch by the fire in the backyard of her mate's property.  Young had never met the teenager before when he arrived in the early hours and allegedly made his move.  'The accused sat beside (her) and requested her Snapchat,' Mr Buckland said.  'The accused and (the teen) communicated by Snap. They were talking for a while, and the accused asked if she wanted to do things. '(She) said "no" because she was tired and just wanted to go to sleep. So a short time later, (she) actually leapt up and went into the house and lay down in the bed, which you'll hear she was sharing with (friends).' Lachlan Young, 24, of Sebastopol in country Victoria, is accused of raping a 16-year old girl  The jury heard Young persisted with his Snapchat messages, prompting his alleged victim to warn him about her age.  'Do you actually know how old I am?' she told him.  'And the accused replied, "17",' Mr Buckland said.  'I thought you were 17 or 18,' Young replied. 'I should have hit you up earlier.' The court heard the teenager told Young she just wanted to sleep, but Young persisted.  'Come on, please. Just five minutes, and I'll make it worth it,' Young begged.  Lachlan Young allegedly used Snapchat to groom his alleged victim  Once outside, the court heard the teenager allowed Young to digitally penetrate her before she called time on their dalliance.  'Want to f***?' Young asked, before he was rejected.  'Despite her refusal, the accused pulled her shorts down, then bent (her) over into a forward position and ... in her words "put his dick inside of me", penetrating her vagina with his penis from behind,' Mr Buckland said.  The alleged rape continued for about three minutes. 'You should probably go back inside before people start looking for you,' he allegedly told her.  When she woke the next day she told her friend what had allegedly happened.  The court heard the pair continued to communicate on and off over the next few weeks before Young's alleged victim finally took a swipe back.  'How's your missus? How would she feel about you f****ng an underage and cheating on her,' she messaged him.  Lachlan Young denied the charges A couple of weeks later she messaged him again.  'Did you tell (your friend) about the night you f****d me?' she wrote.  'What are you on about?' Young replied.  'Lol. You are actually pathetic,' she responded.  'You're pathetic, Lachie. You literally f****d me, even though I said no.' Young blocked her on Snapchat hoping the matter would disappear.  But after a chat with a school counsellor, the matter was brought to Victoria Police.  On April 2, the teenager made a statement to police, sparking the investigation which led to the rape charge.  In a brief defence, Young's barrister Glenn Casement told the jury the credibility of Young's alleged victim and her friend would be the key to his defence.  He told the jury the rape simply never happened.  'What are you on about? ... Ask yourself: Isn't that exactly what Mr Young might have said if it only went as far as digital penetration?' he asked the jury.  The trial is expected to continue for at least seven days.   Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.