A Towradgi woman who was allegedly raped by a stranger who jumped in her taxi and followed her home made repeated attempts to lose the man, telling him, “you’re not coming with me”, a court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Police allege 39-year-old computer programmer Vaughan Robert Rogers stalked the woman at Towradgi Beach Hotel into the early hours of the morning on October 14.
Wollongong Local Court considered a police version of events on Monday morning as Rogers applied for bail for the first time.
A police prosecutor argued strenuously against Rogers’ release, saying the woman remained “terrified” of him. The sergeant said the woman was drunk and vulnerable when she was allegedly targeted, and that Rogers had subjected her to a prolonged ordeal and “excruciating pain”.
Rogers’ lawyer told the court he posed no risk to the woman, if released, partly because the woman had been wearing a wig the night of the alleged assault, therefore he wouldn’t necessarily recognise her.
The court heard the hotel’s CCTV cameras captured Rogers staring at the 56-year-old woman and following her as she became well intoxicated with friends, early on October 14.
Police allege Rogers was still watching as the woman’s friend placed her in the front seat of a taxi outside the venue at 2.40am, and that he then climbed into the cab’s back seat, unnoticed by her at first.
The woman has told police she grew uneasy when she realised the man’s presence, mid-journey.
She says Rogers replied “yeah it’s alright, it’s alright” when she told him he was not coming with her. Once the taxi arrived at her home, she told him, “stay in the car, go home”. But Rogers instead got out, telling her, “I want to walk”.
The woman paid her fare but delayed getting out of the taxi for 50 seconds.
The taxi driver, one of five civilian witnesses since interviewed, has told police he saw the man standing nearby, but that he then drove on and lost sight of him.
The woman has told police she was unsure where the stranger had gone and so was panicking as she walked to her front door.
She slipped on her driveway before she unlocked the door, only to turn around and see Rogers standing there, police allege.
Police allege she told him, “f--- off, go away and get out of my house” and hit him with her umbrella, before she was overpowered and brought to the ground inside her home’s entryway.
Police allege Rogers lay on top of the woman, removed her tights and underwear and repeatedly tried to force her legs apart, but that this was not possible as her bones had calcified following hip replacement surgery.
Police will allege Rogers’ efforts caused the woman extreme pain, and that she was then subjected to a painful digital assault. They allege Rogers left the home after some time, after the woman feigned sleep.
The woman immediately called a friend and then rang 000. She was taken to Wollongong Hospital for treatment.
Rogers was arrested outside his Towradgi home about 10pm on October 16, after police released CCTV of his image and appealed for help from the public in identifying him.
Police seized his mobile phone and have extracted data placing him in the vicinity of the woman’s address at the time of the alleged assault.
He refused to be interviewed by police.
Investigators have since matched a palm print located on the floor of the woman’s home to Rogers’ hand, the court heard.
The court heard the woman had felt unable to live alone and had moved in with family since that night. But she had since returned home and was fearful of Rogers’ release, prosecutor Eve Grey said.
“Needless to say, the victim’s absolutely terrified,” Sgt Grey said, adding the alleged assault showed “unprovoked and brazen violence” which was “aggravated by the fact that the assault occurred inside her house – somewhere she was supposed to feel safe”.
Rogers’ solicitor, Leah Rowan, was critical of “emotive language” used by the prosecution in describing the claims. Ms Rowan suggested Rogers, who had never been before a court before, was deserving of police bail when the charges were first laid.
“It’s a surprising position, given what has been prominent in the news this week – an identical offence against a prominent football player – he’s given police bail,” she said, refering to Dragons/Origin player Jack De Belin, who was charged with aggravated sexual assault in company on Thursday and since released on police bail.
“There’s certainly an inference out there that if my client were a prominent football player he’d have walked out of a police station.”
Ms Rowan noted Rogers owned his own home and had strong community ties, and said he had intended to hand himself in when he was arrested.
In seeking bail, Rogers agreed he would not to return to the hotel, drink alcohol or leave his home unless accompanied.
He said nothing in court on Monday, other than to confirm his name.
He blinked repeatedly from behind black-rimmed spectacles as Magistrate Michael Stoddart refused bail.
The magistrate noted the seriousness of the allegations.
“It would appear on the face of it that some type of planning had gone into this particular incident prior,” he said. “There’s a suggestion that this unfortunate victim was stalked to some degree and followed home. That person was a vulnerable person being intoxicated and then subjected to a very serious [alleged assault].”
Of the De Belin comparison, the magistrate said: “That wasn’t before myself. I’m dealing with Mr Rogers’ matter today, properly on the material before me today.”
Rogers is due to return to court January 30.