Gumleaf
March 27th, 2008, 02:18 AM
Thursday Mar 27 13:37 AEDT
A woman who claims she was raped by NRL star Anthony Laffranchi was so intoxicated that she may have found it difficult to repel any sexual advances, a Sydney court has been told.
Laffranchi, 27, is facing a committal hearing in Burwood Local Court on a charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
The Gold Coast Titans player is accused of raping a 26-year-old woman in the apartment of a fellow footballer following end-of-season mad Monday celebrations in September 2006.
The woman has told the court she met Laffranchi, then playing for the Wests Tigers, at a Kings Cross nightclub where she was out with friends partying and drinking.
She has testified that she does not recall anything between the hours of 3am and 8am when she woke in a strange apartment to find her vagina red and sore and her pants inside out.
The woman went to the police and was examined and submitted a breath test.
Police pharmacologist Judith Perl on Thursday told magistrate Caroline Barkell that if the alleged offence occurred at 5.30am - the estimate given police and the woman - her blood-alcohol level could have been as high as 0.235.
"At that level an average social drinker's abilities would be significantly compromised," Dr Perl said.
"This included the woman's ability to repel unwanted sexual advances."
Had the alleged offence occurred an hour later at 6.30am, Dr Perl said the woman's blood alcohol concentration would have been 0.168.
"At that level certainly a social drinker's abilities to conduct themselves in a safe manner would be compromised," she said.
Under cross examination by Laffranchi's lawyer Tony Bellanto QC, Dr Perl conceded that, had the alleged incident occurred after 6.30am she would have expected the woman to have some memory of it.
The hearing continues.
©AAP 2008
A woman who claims she was raped by NRL star Anthony Laffranchi was so intoxicated that she may have found it difficult to repel any sexual advances, a Sydney court has been told.
Laffranchi, 27, is facing a committal hearing in Burwood Local Court on a charge of sexual intercourse without consent.
The Gold Coast Titans player is accused of raping a 26-year-old woman in the apartment of a fellow footballer following end-of-season mad Monday celebrations in September 2006.
The woman has told the court she met Laffranchi, then playing for the Wests Tigers, at a Kings Cross nightclub where she was out with friends partying and drinking.
She has testified that she does not recall anything between the hours of 3am and 8am when she woke in a strange apartment to find her vagina red and sore and her pants inside out.
The woman went to the police and was examined and submitted a breath test.
Police pharmacologist Judith Perl on Thursday told magistrate Caroline Barkell that if the alleged offence occurred at 5.30am - the estimate given police and the woman - her blood-alcohol level could have been as high as 0.235.
"At that level an average social drinker's abilities would be significantly compromised," Dr Perl said.
"This included the woman's ability to repel unwanted sexual advances."
Had the alleged offence occurred an hour later at 6.30am, Dr Perl said the woman's blood alcohol concentration would have been 0.168.
"At that level certainly a social drinker's abilities to conduct themselves in a safe manner would be compromised," she said.
Under cross examination by Laffranchi's lawyer Tony Bellanto QC, Dr Perl conceded that, had the alleged incident occurred after 6.30am she would have expected the woman to have some memory of it.
The hearing continues.
©AAP 2008