Trial for alleged 1991 rape

September 23, 2012 Agencies
Read on for article

A man who allegedly raped a Holocaust survivor two decades ago will face trial, a NSW court ruled on Friday. 

Robert Paul Webb was charged last year with two counts of aggravated sexual intercourse and aggravated assault on the woman, who died last year, in Sydney in 1991.

Webb, who was 18 at the time, was only charged when police discovered a semen stain on the ground in the car park where the alleged rape against the then 70-year old survivor occurred and used it to match his DNA.

The Holocaust survivor, who cannot be named, gave video testimony to police just months before she died last year.

But Webb’s legal counsel argued in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal Friday that his client could not receive a fair trial because the Holocaust survivor could not be cross-examined, according to a report by the Australian Associated Press.

The three judges denied his request and allowed the prosecution to admit the now-deceased woman’s video statement into evidence, AAP reported.

Crown prosecutor Sally Dowling said the woman, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Australia in her 20s, had been the victim of a “calculated attack” and it was in the public interest for Webb to stand trial, the report stated.

Speak Your Mind

Comments received without a full name will not be considered
Email addresses are NEVER published! All comments are moderated. J-Wire will publish considered comments by people who provide a real name and email address. Comments that are abusive, rude, defamatory or which contain offensive language will not be published

Got something to say about this?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.