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Witness of alleged rape said she was forced to drink alcohol, court hears

A teenage girl told authorities in the aftermath of her friend’s alleged rape that she had been coerced into drinking liquor on the night in question, and that several men had attempted to force oral sex on her.

The further allegations emerged at the continuing trial of four men accused of a serious sexual assault on an underage teen on the night of July 27, 2013.

One of the four is additionally charged with giving the victim alcohol. For legal reasons, neither the defendants nor the young witnesses can be identified.

The court heard yesterday from registered nurse Rebecca Madeiros, who was summoned by police to examine the victim at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in the early hours of the subsequent day.

The victim appeared “very sleepy” and her eyes were bloodshot when they met for a forensic examination at 5.15am, Ms Madeiros said.

As well as collecting a variety of swabs and bagging items of clothing, the nurse took blood and urine samples for drug and alcohol checks — and wrote down the girl’s account of what had happened the night before.

Ms Madeiros said she’d also examined the girl’s friend, who has appeared as a witness to the alleged rape in a backyard tent involving the accused and others.

The accused men are aged 21, 20, 20 and 19 respectively.

Ms Madeiros told defence lawyer Richard Horseman she’d found no signs of injury or trauma to the victim’s genital area.

Turning to the victim’s friend, Mr Horseman asked: “She said her hand had been held behind her back while she was forced to drink alcohol?” — to which Ms Madeiros agreed.

The nurse also verified the girl’s assertion that three of the assailants had attempted to force her to have oral sex.

The court heard that the friend’s wrist had been swabbed, because she had described being forcibly held. Ms Madeiros testified that she hadn’t discerned signs of injury or trauma.

Questioned by lawyer Elizabeth Christopher, Ms Madeiros confirmed she’d been told the names of three young men involved, plus four others whose names she didn’t know — as well as seeing her friend getting kissed by defendant A, to whose residence both girls were taken that night.

The nurse was told that “two men pushed me back, and the other poured liquor in my mouth” — and that two men had exposed themselves to her and tried to force her into performing oral sex.

Ms Madeiros also confirmed she was told at the hospital that the victim’s friend had seen two men force themselves on her while a third forced her to have oral sex.

“She was suggesting there were three people having relations with her at the same time?” the lawyer asked, to which the nurse agreed.

And she accepted lawyer Marc Daniels’ assertion that she had heard about a variety of sexual assaults “depending on whose account you listen to”.

The trial continues.