A tram passenger ignored a young tourist's pleas for help before she was repeatedly raped in Fitzroy by a man who had been released on bail the previous day, a court has heard.
The woman, 22, was allegedly raped repeatedly outside the St Vincent's Hospital after the stranger followed her off the tram on Thursday morning.
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A 22-year-old woman was allegedly raped repeatedly outside the St Vincent's Hospital after the stranger followed her off the tram on Thursday morning. Vision courtesy: Seven News Melbourne.
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Alleged tram rape attacker was out on bail
A 22-year-old woman was allegedly raped repeatedly outside the St Vincent's Hospital after the stranger followed her off the tram on Thursday morning. Vision courtesy: Seven News Melbourne.
Jamie Macarthur, 49, had been on bail for less than 24 hours when he allegedly began talking to the woman as she waited for a tram in Melbourne's CBD in the early hours of Thursday morning, the court heard on Friday.
Police had arrested the Kensington man on Wednesday after he failed to face court on March 6 for other alleged crimes, but then released him on bail.
He was picked up for the second time by police in the CBD that same night for being drunk after officers received reports of a man acting aggressively, but he was released again.
Detective Senior Constable John Robertson said the woman, who was visiting from interstate, felt uneasy and thought it was safer to talk to him than ignore him. He allegedly told her she was pretty and asked her to come home with him to drink alcohol.
The detective said he put his arm around her and she walked around the CBD with him because she did not want to upset him.
The pair got onto a tram, where he began forcing himself on the woman, kissing her face and mouth. She mouthed "Help me" to a male passenger sitting across from her, but received no response, the detective said.
Photo: Penny Stephens
The woman felt obligated to stay with Mr Macarthur, afraid that his behaviour would get worse if she left him, the court heard.
He allegedly followed her off the tram and said "You're not leaving me" as she headed for the front doors of the St Vincent's Hospital, the court heard. She rang the doorbell next to the entrance when she found the doors were locked, and he became angry, saying "We're going to f--- tonight."
He allegedly dragged her away from the hospital entrance and around the corner of the building, threw her to the ground and fell on top of her in the process.
The man ignored her repeated attempts to escape, allegedly placing her in a headlock, choking her, ripping her underwear and repeatedly raping her with his fingers.
Police say she later managed to break free and enter the hospital in the company of security guards. Mr Macarthur, allegedly followed her inside, said "You're not leaving me" and tried to grab her again, before he was allegedly captured on CCTV waiting outside 5.45am. He was arrested in the CBD later that night.
The court heard Mr Macarthur admitted to police that he went to Fitzroy with the woman and put his hand up her dress but did not admit to raping her. He insisted he did not want to hurt the woman but was driven by his sexual desires, police say.
He appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, saying he was "not a violent person by nature" and was affected by alcohol at the time.
"I don't know why she didn't leave, I guess I misread the signals," he said.
Magistrate Timothy Bourke refused him bail on Friday, saying serious allegations were involved "against a random member of the community, a woman, in circumstances where, most unsatisfactorily, he's been bailed by police not long before for failure to answer bail...rather than being brought before a court."
Mr Bourke said that Mr Macarthur had failed to justify why he should be released, and posed an unacceptable risk of endangering members of public and committing further offences on bail.
He is charged with five counts of sexual penetration without consent, two counts of intentionally touching the woman in a sexual manner without consent, seven counts of assault and one count of unlawful imprisonment.
Mr Macarthur is next due to appear before the court on June 9.
Earlier in the day, police appealed for anyone who saw the pair to come forward, saying they believed the victim tried to get help from a number of commuters while still on the tram.