An alleged rapist has been accused of holding a pillow over a woman's face, rendering her unconscious, and trapping her in the boot of his car before letting her out on the side of the Glenloch Interchange.
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The 28-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was granted bail when he appeared in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday via audio-visual link from the Alexander Maconochie Centre.
The charges relate to an alleged incident involving a woman he had known for 17 years and had an "on-and-off" sexual relationship with, at the man's Kambah home in May.
The court heard the two were not in a relationship at the time of the alleged incident, and the man had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Police documents allege the Kambah man invited the woman over to watch a movie before he became "enraged" at a comment she made and "flipped".
The 28-year-old allegedly grabbed the woman by her hair, throwing her over a coffee table onto the floor before putting her in a "choke hold using his bicep and forearm".
The woman begged the man to stop as she could not breathe and thought she was going to die, however the man allegedly proceeded to press a pillow over her face as she lay on the floor, causing her to lose consciousness.
The Kambah man allegedly raped the woman before trapping her in the boot of his car and driving "erratically", causing her to "hit her head several times and roll around".
The man eventually allegedly dragged the woman out of the boot of the car at around 2am, leaving her at an underpass tunnel at the Glenloch Interchange.
The woman said she began walking towards Civic before being picked up by a man in a red vehicle and taken to City Police Station.
However, the court heard police had been unable to locate the man who is said to have picked her up.
In court, prosecutor Tahlia Drumgold opposed bail by arguing the man was likely to contact and harass the alleged victim, who feared retribution for reporting the matter to police.
Ms Drumgold also noted the man had a past conviction for using a device to harass the same woman, leaving her "derogatory" messages.
The court heard the woman had also made multiple past allegations of rape.
Defence barrister Slade Howell countered that the man had a limited criminal history and no past charges or convictions for rape.
He argued the prosecution's case was weak.
Magistrate James Lawton decided to grant the man bail, noting the pair had a "turbulent relationship".
Mr Lawton imposed conditions that included the man accepting supervision by ACT Corrective Services, submitting to drug and alcohol testing and not contacting or being near the woman.
The man is expected to appear in court again on August 2.
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Soofia Tariq
Soofia joined the Canberra Times in 2022 as the cadet. She is now a general news reporter, covering everything from local stories to ACT and federal politics. She previously interned and was an audio producer at The Guardian Australia. She has also worked at 2SER Radio and City Hub Sydney. Her email is soofia.tariq@canberratimes.com.au
Soofia joined the Canberra Times in 2022 as the cadet. She is now a general news reporter, covering everything from local stories to ACT and federal politics. She previously interned and was an audio producer at The Guardian Australia. She has also worked at 2SER Radio and City Hub Sydney. Her email is soofia.tariq@canberratimes.com.au
