A police detective has visited the former family home, where a man allegedly raped his wife, on two occasions since the County Court trial started last Friday.
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Detective Senior Constable Chris Brown, who is the police informant in the case, has attended the house twice this week to take photographs of the married couple’s former bedroom.
Four new photographs of the bedroom’s windows and curtains were presented to the Ballarat jury on Thursday.
The 13-member jury were also given photographs of the house taken on February 8, 2017 – the day after the complainant reported the alleged incidents to police.
Detective Senior Constable Brown told the jury on his visits to the house he could see inside the bedroom, through a gap, when the blinds were down.
On Tuesday one of the couple’s children said in a recorded interview with police, he saw his father push and inappropriately touch his mother in their bedroom on February 7, 2017.
The child testified he was outside when he saw his parents through a window.
During cross-examination, defence barrister Alan Hands put to Detective Senior Constable Brown the child could not have seen through the window.
“I have no comment on that,” Detective Senior Constable Brown said.
He said bending down at a 45 degree angle from the outside window, he could see the bedroom’s back wall where the bed head was.
A short recorded interview of one of the couple’s children with police in relation to the alleged February 7 incident was played to the jury on Thursday.
The primary school-aged child said his father locked him and his siblings in the car before going back inside the house.
He said when he next saw his mother she was upset and he knew this because she was crying. The boy said his mother then drove to the Ballarat Police Station.
The accused man, who The Courier has chosen not to name in order to protect the complainant’s identity, is charged with raping his wife of 10 years in February 2017 during a marriage breakdown.
The 35-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape alleged to have occurred at the couple’s family home.
Mr Hands will continue to cross-examine Detective Senior Constable Brown on Friday – the last of eight prosecution witnesses.
The defence will then have the opportunity to provide its witnesses.
The trial, in its fifth day, is being held before Judge Bill Stuart.