A husband accused of sexually assaulting his wife after their wedding reception and on every night of their honeymoon has been found not guilty of rape.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, wept as Judge Pauline David found him not guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault, five counts of sexual assault and another two counts of assault.
He had been accused of brutally raping his wife four times on August 26, 2018, after their wedding reception in Liverpool, southwest of Sydney.
They had an arranged marriage just over a month after meeting through friends’ recommendations.
The woman gave evidence at her husband’s District Court trial that he forced himself on top of her once they arrived at their Sydney hotel room and he had intercourse with her despite her ‘begging’ him to stop.
She accused him of saying ‘it’s my wedding night’ and ‘stop resisting, it will be harder’, asserting the force of the penetration caused her to bleed.
The husband had been accused of three other incidents of sexual assault that night, along with others during their honeymoon in the NSW Blue Mountains.
The woman reported experiencing extreme pain and bleeding on each occasion.
A husband accused of sexually assaulting his wife after their wedding reception and on every night of their honeymoon has been found not guilty of rape (file picture)
Her husband was further accused of slapping her across the face three times during an argument in September 2018, along with another incident where he was said to have punched her at least 20 times after she threw a glass of water on him.
The defendant maintained all sex was consensual and he never struck her.
Judge David agreed, finding the wife to be an ‘unreliable witness’ and saying she had been given no evidence the accused had any tendency to be violent.
The judge found inconsistencies saying that texts and photos tendered in court showed the wife to be ‘warm and affectionate’.
She said the wife looked happy, warm, close and affectionate in photos from the honeymoon, reflecting ‘an entirely different presentation’ the day after allegations of ‘what can only be described as a brutal rape’.
Texts from after their honeymoon showed the wife pleading with the husband to see her, repeatedly expressing her love for him and describing him as ‘my life’.
Judge David also noted the wife had apologised over the alleged assault incident from October 2018 where she described being punched 20 times, making no mention of any violence.
‘Her testimony is completely at odds and contrary with her insistence he come and spend the night with her,’ the judge said.
”I’m waiting for you’, ‘I need you’, ‘all night is too long’ … these are messages she sent to the accused … it is entirely clear this is at conflict with what she said in her evidence.’
The accused was 34 years old at the time of their wedding, while the wife was 25.
The pair have since divorced.
The accused’s lawyer flagged they would apply for their legal costs to be covered.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
