Cambridge biologist ‘obsessed with rough sex raped 3 women’
A CAMBRIDGE-educated entrepreneur raped three women by forcing them to take part in rough sex and role-playing fantasies, a court heard yesterday.
Edward Gabbai’s alleged victims are a 17-year-old escort, a young Swedish woman and a 23-year-old stranger he offered to share a cab with.
The first two agreed to have consensual sex with the 30-year- old but were then raped and the third was attacked at his address, the jury was told.
Gabbai, who has a PhD in microbiology and nanoscience from Cambridge and founded the World Boutique Hotels Awards, is claimed to have bitten, strangled and slapped the women.
Prosecutor Simon Russell Flint QC said: ‘This being rough and violent in the course of sexual activity, we say, is a common and repeating theme.
‘Edward Gabbai likes to dominate sexually and inflict hurt and violence on those who he engages in sexual activity.’
The teenage escort said they were ‘friends who would have sex together’ and she did not charge Gabbai money. She claimed he revealed liking ‘rape fantasies’ when they discussed their preferences.
Jurors heard she allowed him to hold her down and have sex with her while she struggled. But on one occasion in 2014, he forced her to take part in a sex act which she had said she did not want to try.
Mr Russell Flint said: ‘She said to him, “No Edward, stop, stop, this isn’t part of the role-play.” She was saying it with so much emotion she says he could tell it was not role-playing.
‘She was crying from the pain and was in such shock that she says she couldn’t remember the safe word and just shouted out, “Safe word, safe word,” and he stopped.’ The matter was not reported to police at the time. Gabbai met the Swedish woman through the Tinder dating app in March 2016.
She said she consented to sex but was later raped by him in a bedroom at an address they went to in Stoke Newington, North London.
Mr Russell Flint said: ‘ He started giving her orders as to what to do. He pinned down her legs, pushed her down and started to become very aggressive. He started strangling so hard she could not breathe, bit her neck and ear so it left a visible mark, turned her head so he could slap her face and pulled her hair.
‘He said, “That’s my favourite bit”. She was screaming out and he continued to have sex with her. Facial injuries were caused by the defendant beating her up, quite frankly.’
The woman reported Gabbai to police as she was embarrassed about her parents seeing her injuries, Kingston-uponThames Crown Court was told.
She also cancelled a passport photo appointment at the Swedish Embassy.
Gabbai told police that the woman ‘liked rough sex’. He admitted hitting her ‘about 12 times’ but claimed ‘ at no time did she tell him to stop’.
The last alleged victim had been drinking in Angel, North London, and agreed to share Gabbai’s cab because her phone had run out of power and she could not call her own.
They went to an address in Battersea, South-West London, where he was house-sitting. She claims he told her: ‘You’ve got to let me do whatever I want.’
Gabbai is accused of pushing her on to a bed, slapping both her cheeks, making her cry, and calling her ‘ lots of names, like slut’.
Mr Russell Flint said: ‘ He pushed down on her neck, she couldn’t breathe, she was gasping for breath and she really thought he was going to suffocate her.
‘She says she was hysterical, crying and unable to speak and was told, “If you cry out or try to go away I’ll make it worse for you”. He slapped her face, her bottom, her legs.’
The woman claims she was raped three times and was found to have 30 injuries when examined, the court was told.
Gabbai was arrested a few days later in December 2016 when police located him using the mobile number he had given the woman.
Checks on the phone revealed footage which showed ‘a girl on her knees who appeared to be distressed and to be being assaulted’, the prosecutor said.
None of the women can be named for legal reasons.
Gabbai, of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, denies five counts of rape. The trial continues.
‘Started to become very aggressive’