Queensland police officer denies raping colleague after Christmas party

Clowes and the woman, both detectives at Gladstone, were at a Christmas party on the night of the alleged rape in 1999, prosecutor Sarah McFarland told the jury in her opening statement.

He and another male officer, both of whom had a platonic relationship with the woman, were invited to stay at her house because the house was two minutes away from the party venue.

The men were in the living room while the woman went to sleep in her bedroom with the door closed, Ms McFarland said.

The court was told that the woman was to tell the jury that she woke up with one hand on her chest and Clowes behind her.

“She will tell you about the pain she felt as his penis thrust in and out,” Ms. McFarland said.

“She screamed ‘f***’ and jumped out of bed.”

She took a shower before the trio left, went to the police station and then parted ways, the court was told.

Ms McFarland said the woman told jurors she was in shock, didn’t know what to do and decided to drive to Brisbane.

The woman stated in court that she had been beside herself during the journey, had vomited several times and had partially told a police officer who had been called what had happened.

In Brisbane, she spoke to current Chief Superintendent Ray Rohweder, who is expected to testify as a witness in the trial.

The woman will tell the jury what impact the alleged incident had, Ms McFarland said.

“She will present evidence as to why she did not report this and then why she did it … in 2021.”

Clowes’ lawyer Saul Holt said a fake phone call the woman made to Clowes, now a police inspector, in October 2021 was key evidence that led to a declaration of innocence rather than a confession.

“It can be concluded that there was a moment of drunken drinking and a brief episode of sexual contact between the two on the evening of a police Christmas party.”

Jurors could conclude that there was no sexual intercourse, she was not asleep, the incident was consensual and ended before anything significant happened, Holt said.

When asked why the woman would falsely claim she was raped more than twenty years later, Holt said jurors had a clear idea of ​​her significant alcohol problems and mental health issues.

Mr Holt said the woman had alleged “something resembling sexual harassment or sexually inappropriate behaviour” at the time of the incident, which had led to a mediation process with the police, which is not available for allegations of a criminal offence.

Few records are available from that time and witnesses have said they cannot remember the events, he added.

“It’s a mishmash of contradictory things she’s said to other people over the last 24 years.”

Referring to the fake call “out of the blue,” Holt said jurors would hear that Clowes was stunned when the woman claimed she woke up to him having sex from behind.

“You will immediately hear him say: ‘No, that’s not how it happened’ and above all: ‘You never said that.'”

The trial before Judge John Allen is scheduled for five days.

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