Prosecutors have served up a horrible mixture of lies in the rape trial of an innocent and well-connected Melbourne man, his barrister has argued.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is on trial in the Victorian County Court after pleading not guilty to one charge of sexual assault and two counts of rape.
It's alleged he assaulted a younger woman at his Melbourne home in the early hours of March 24, 2023.
Closing arguments in the trial began on Wednesday, with the man's defence barrister arguing the woman's entire story was a lie.
"What the prosecution have served up in this case to you through the evidence was just a horrible mixture of lies, fabrications, recent inventions and inconsistencies," Dermot Dann KC said.
"The horrendous mixture ... makes you feel sick."
The woman was employed by the man in 2022 and reconnected with him for more work opportunities the day before the alleged incident, the trial was told.
She agreed to go over to his place on the afternoon of March 23 and they discussed work before listening to music, drinking wine together and using cocaine, the Crown alleges.
The pair went to his friend's place to watch the football and she returned to the man's home sometime after 10.30pm, where they continued to use drugs and alcohol, the jury was told.
The woman became emotional while discussing a recent break-up and it's alleged the man hugged her and said he would take care of her before kissing her.
The woman pushed the man away but he allegedly began touching her breasts, waist and buttocks.
She told him to stop but he said he couldn't because she was "so sexy", the jury was told.
The woman was holding a pillow and crying into it when it's alleged the man raped her twice.
The jury was told the woman texted her mother about the incident immediately afterwards and police were later called to the scene.
The woman gave evidence in closed court over several days and prosecutor Matthew Fisher on Wednesday accepted there had been some inconsistencies in her recollection.
"But she has been consistent and adamant this is what he did to her in that room on that night," he said.
Mr Fisher told the jury the woman had been upfront about wanting compensation from the accused but he said that was not relevant to their deliberations.
"It doesn't equate to her lying or making all of this up," the prosecutor said.
But Mr Dann argued the financial motive was "disturbing", as was the alleged lies the woman told about the circumstances of the offending.
Mr Dann will continue his closing arguments on Thursday.
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