A Ballarat man has pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape and a slew of other charges in the County Court.
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The man in his 20s, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with raping, assaulting, falsely imprisoning, and setting fire to a woman he was in a relationship with in 2015.
He was arraigned in the County Court yesterday and a jury selected for a criminal trial that is expected to run into next week.
During opening, prosecution attorney Pat Bourke outlined the charges bought against the man.
The prosecution allege the man first assaulted the woman in January 2015 during a party at his house after he and another guest were involved in an altercation.
It is alleged the man punched the woman in the face and pushed her into a door frame after she confronted him about the fight.
Mr Bourke then detailed how the man allegedly forced the woman into sex with him in March 2015 after he was angered by text messages she received from an ex-partner.
The prosecution allege the man assaulted and raped the woman again in June 2015 when she had returned to his house after being out with her friends.
Mr Bourke told the court the man had become enraged with the woman, picked her up by throat, threw her onto a bed while choking her and insulting her.
It is alleged she blacked out for a short period and when she came to, the man told her to shut up and spat on her before raping her.
While the relationship ended for about a week, the couple were back together later the same month when it is alleged the man raped the woman again and would not allow her to leave his house for up to four days.
The court heard from Mr Bourke that the man had allegedly punched the woman in the face again before forcing her into sex with him after finding out she had slept with someone else when they had broken up.
The prosecution claim a few days after, the man allowed her to go out for a night with her friends but became violent again when she returned home.
It is alleged the man set fire to the woman’s clothes while she was wearing them before ripping her clothing off, forcing her to have sex with him and then would not allow her to leave the house.
The court heard the woman was able to sneak out once the man had fallen asleep.
A month after these incidents, the prosecution claim the man broke into the woman’s parents’ house after she had left him and had moved in with her parents.
It’s claimed the woman returned home after being out to find her bedroom window smashed and blood on the window sill.
Mr Bourke said the blood was analysed by police and found to match the DNA of the accused man.
Defence attorney Daniel McGlone said the jury’s role is to determine if his client was guilty.
“We are not engaged in an emotional exercise but an intellectual one,” he said.
Mr McGlone said his client completely denies the allegations bought against him.
“He has done nothing; he is innocent unless the prosecution can prove otherwise beyond reasonable doubt.
“We ask you to put any sympathies or prejudice to one side.
“The main question you need to ask is ‘am I satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that these allegations happened?’ The answer is no.”