A sport climber who represented Australia in the Youth Olympics has been accused of 'stealth' rape.
Ned Middlehurst, 21, on Monday faced Melbourne Magistrates Court charged with raping a woman after allegedly having sex with her without a condom when he said he would use protection.
He has also been charged with making a false or misleading misrepresentation after he allegedly removed a condom from its packaging but did not use it.
"The charge of rape is obviously incredibly serious," Middlehurst's lawyer Sam Norton told the court.
"Of any view (the woman) consented to sexual penetration - the issue from the Crown's perspective is that she didn't consent to sexual penetration without a condom."
Middlehurst represented Australia in sport climbing at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
He is expected to face court again on April 27.
