Retirement village manager charged in 2021 with two counts of rape found not guilty

The former co-manager of a retirement village in Toowoomba, 125km west of Brisbane, who was described as a kind, honest, and diligent worker who went the “extra mile” for his residents, has been found not guilty of raping a woman while she was a resident. 

The man, who cannot legally be identified, pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape before Judge Benedict Power KC in Toowoomba District Court. 

After a four-day trial, the jury returned verdicts of not guilty on both charges with deliberations lasting just under two hours. 

The family of the man began crying with relief at the reading of verdicts, with one woman heard saying “three years, it’s been three years of this” before embracing the man in the courtroom. 

During the trial, the prosecution argued the man had raped the woman on two occasions and had previously made unwanted sexual advances towards the woman. 

On the stand, the man said he had never had sex with the woman and said she had always pursued him, calling her an “attention-seeker” and a “schizo”. 

The defence barrister Stephen Kissick contended the woman was lonely and had created a fantasy relationship in her mind. 

The man was immediately discharged of both offences. 

Browse villages.com.au for the latest on Seniors Living including availability.