July 8th 2024.
During a bucks party weekend in February 2022, a group of men, including Maurice Hawell, 30, Marius Hawell, 22, and Andrew David, 30, are said to have committed sexual crimes against three teenage women at a rented apartment in Newcastle. The men were staying at an Airbnb ahead of Maurice's upcoming wedding, as the trial at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court revealed.
According to the barristers representing Maurice Hawell and Andrew David, while their clients did engage in consensual sex with the three women, Marius Hawell denies any involvement in sexual activity. However, the crown prosecutor, Craig Evans, argued in his closing statements to the jury that the circumstances of the Friday night indicated that the women did not consent.
The group of men, along with seven others, were out at a nearby pub when they met a few women and invited them back to the apartment. Two of the women agreed to go, and consensual sex took place between them and Maurice Hawell, David, and another man who has not been charged. But afterwards, when they went to retrieve their phones from a darkened bedroom, they were allegedly pushed onto the bed, stripped, and forced to have sex with at least three men.
One of the women described a feeling of being surrounded by a "swarm of people" whom she could not identify. Evans argued that the circumstances, including the women being taken into a dark room, proved that there was no consent. The evidence of one of the women stated that she was forced into oral and vaginal sex with the men as her clothing was being removed.
The lack of light in the room made it impossible for the women to identify who was doing what, but prosecutors claimed that the three men had a joint criminal agreement to rape and sexually touch the women. The following night, a third alleged victim was brought into the apartment after Maurice Hawell followed her from the bar and led her into a darkened bedroom, where she was raped by Maurice and David, who took turns swapping sexual positions.
Marius Hawell also came into the room and watched partway through, according to Evans. All three men have pleaded not guilty to charges, including sexual intercourse without consent, sexual touching without consent, and attempted sexual touching without consent. The trial is ongoing, and support services such as 1800 RESPECT and the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service are available for those who may need it.
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