A man from a family linked to the AFL has been charged with two counts of rape but has won a court fight to keep his identity secret.
The man appeared in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged with two counts of rape and three counts of perverting the course of justice.
Documents tendered in court show police allege the man twice raped a woman in Melbourne’s east in mid-January this year.Credit: Darrian Traynor
He is from a family linked to the AFL, but his lawyer successfully applied to have a suppression order imposed on media outlets that prevents his name from being released until his next court date in July – and potentially beyond.
He was charged on Friday with the alleged offences, which magistrate Brett Sonnet described as “very serious”.
Documents tendered in court show police allege the man twice raped a woman in Melbourne’s east in mid-January this year.
Police also allege that shortly after, the man “created a false Uber” to suggest he did not commit the offences, and also directed someone to lie about his movements to pin the alleged offending on someone else.
Later that month, the man falsely told someone that a different person had admitted to committing the offending, police allege.
The man did not speak to the court during the hearing. His defence submitted psychiatric reports to the court in a bid to protect his identity, which Sonnet agreed to.
The man was released on bail with the condition that he does not leave the country.