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Millionaire to face trial in Sydney rape case

Trial: Gregory Charles Cox is accused of raping a Bermudian woman on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.

A millionaire British businessman accused of raping a Bermudian woman on Sydney's Bondi Beach will stand trial over the incident.Gregory Charles Cox, 31, is accused of sexually assaulting the woman on the beach between 11.10pm and 11.30pm on a Saturday night in January after meeting her at a bar earlier that night.Mr Cox claims the sex was consensual.The Sydney Morning Herald reported how the Downing Centre Local Court heard that Mr Cox is the chief executive and founder of Quintessential Finance Group, a British company with 100 employees and revenue of tens of millions of dollars.Last month he failed to have his identity suppressed in the media, after arguing his high profile in the British business community and the fact he hailed from a well-known family would mean he would suffer "undue embarrassment".On the night of the alleged assault, two people took the woman to a police station shortly after the incident and she was later found to be suffering a head injury — although the injury could have been up to two days old.Mr Cox’s barrister claimed there were inconsistencies in the account of the incident given by the woman, according to the newspaper report.The barrister asked for permission to cross-examine her at a committal hearing, arguing there was a reasonable chance the charge would be dismissed.At committal hearings, alleged sexual assault victims are usually excluded from giving evidence in court so they do not have to be subjected to cross-examination twice.The magistrate denied the barrister’s request.After this ruling, Mr Cox, who is on bail, waived his right to a committal hearing. He is due to appear in the New South Wales District Court next month where he is expected to plead not guilty.