Chinese billionaire is keeping his identity secret in dinner party rape trial
A “very famous” Chinese billionaire will have his identity kept secret in a rape trial involving guests at an intimate dinner party in his Sydney penthouse.
A model who was paid to appear at lavish events claims she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Longwei Xu, another guest at the exclusive gathering, after being “forced” to drink alcohol by several men at the apartment.
The woman alleged before a NSW District Court jury that she became extremely drunk during the eight-person dinner and had trouble sitting or standing.
The jury heard Mr Xu, who also goes by the first name "Tommy", offered to take her home, but instead took her to his room at the Shangri-La Hotel in the Rocks and tried to force her to have sex.
“When he attempted to rape me, Tommy said that he would buy a boat for me, but I refused,” the woman said of the December 26, 2015, incident. The model, 20 at the time, said Mr Xu threw her phone aside and “forcefully” pulled her clothes off, trying to have sex with her while she struggled beneath him. “He was always on top of me, pinning me down,” the woman said, giving evidence through an interpreter, and remotely via an audio-visual link. “I was very scared, I didn’t know what to do.”
Mr Xu is charged with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, knowing the woman wasn’t consenting; one count of attempting sexual intercourse without consent, knowing the woman wasn’t consenting; three counts of indecent assault and one of assault for allegedly slapping the woman’s face.
The woman claimed she was able to escape from the room about 11pm after Mr Xu fell asleep, calling her boyfriend to pick her up from outside the hotel.
The jury heard the pair went to the police station but the woman was taken to hospital after she vomited several times while speaking to detectives.
Police later visited Mr Xu’s hotel room and he agreed to undergo a forensic procedure.
The court heard the woman’s DNA profile was identified following a swab of Mr Xu’s hands.
During her opening address, Crown prosecutor Sarah Talbert told the jury the young woman was working as a model at a masquerade party on a boat cruise on December 10 when she was approached by another woman about earning more money at events.
The model alleges that over the next couple of days the woman invited her to “meet some friends of hers” but she declined.
She eventually accepted an invitation to the party and was picked up in a chauffeur-driven Range Rover by Mr Xu and others.
“What [the woman] will tell you when she gives evidence is before they entered the penthouse that the accused told [her] not to take any photos of the owner of the penthouse because he was from China and because he was very famous,” Ms Talbert said.
“They entered the penthouse, they walked into the living room, and the complainant saw a number of men who were there at the time, including a man who was a well-known Chinese billionaire.”
Judge Nicole Noman made an order during the proceedings to suppress the identity of the billionaire.
The woman agreed under cross-examination by defence barrister Dr Robert Webb, that she was encouraged, “perhaps even forced” to drink alcohol, even though she didn’t want to.
“I remember the owner didn’t force me to drink but the other males forced me to drink,” she said in evidence.
“I was the one who was encouraged the most.”
She alleges she became so drunk that she fell asleep at the table.
Mr Webb put to the woman that she requested wine, and repeatedly asked to be topped up, which she denied.
He also put to the woman that she had her arm around Mr Xu, which she also denied.
“It’s raised with you that you were leaning in towards him and that you were both flirting and getting along very well,” Mr Webb said.
“No I didn’t,” the woman replied, breaking down in tears.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments always welcome!