Woman ‘raped in Uber’

AN UBER driver who was fired after a passenger accused him of raping her while she was unconscious continued working for competing rideshare platform Ola, a court was told.

The Sudanese refugee, 28, was charged with rape after the NSW woman was allegedly targeted after a friend’s vow renewal celebration on July 11.

The Southport man, who cannot legally be named, has been released on conditional bail and ordered to undergo testing for diseases such as HIV.

He faced Southport Magistrates Court yesterday wearing faded jeans and a crumpled blue dress shirt, crossing his arms tightly across his slightly built body at times, appearing nervous.

Prosecutor Sergeant Davina Cochrane told Magistrate Mark Howden police opposed bail due to an “unacceptable risk of committing further offences”.

She told the court the woman had been intoxicated and friends called an Uber to take her to her parents’ home at Helensvale.

“The victim, due to being intoxicated, recalled sitting in the rear seat of the vehicle and that she felt drowsy and further that she recalled going in and out of consciousness for unknown periods of time,” Sgt Cochrane said.

The woman woke the next day to find her phone and jewellery missing.

“She had a partial memory of the vehicle being stationary and that the driver was in the back seat with her,” Sgt Cochrane said.

The woman recalled “the driver was penetrating her”.

Speaking to her mother, the woman was told she looked “rather dishevelled” when she arrived home, “had her jumpsuit pulled over her and that she was exposing her bra, and her hair was a mess”.

Sgt Cochrane said the woman felt sore and had bruising around her lower body “as though she had sex”, and there was a white stain on her clothing.

The court was told the woman tried to call her missing phone and the “driver from the night before” phoned back, providing his address.

Sgt Cochrane said the woman did not want to alarm her father, so she met the man alone, retrieved her phone “and asked if something happened”.

It’s alleged the man said “yes, something did happen” and “yes, sex”. Sgt Cochrane said the woman felt “sick and violated” and “wasn’t able to fully comprehend what the male had just told her” – she was “devastated by the casual nature” of the conversation.

The court was told the woman went to hospital and later told Uber she “had been raped by a rideshare driver”.

Sgt Cochrane said the man’s role with Uber “was terminated”, but he was “operating as a rideshare driver for the company Ola”.

She said the woman has to wait “at least six months” to see if she contracted an STI.

Sgt Cochrane said police interviewed the driver and “he denied sexually penetrating the victim”, telling them he walked the woman to the front gate.

In defence, duty lawyer Bettina Webb said the man had no criminal history.

Mr Howden granted bail and adjourned to August 13.