Trio found guilty after gang rape on bachelor party

The trio stayed with seven other men in an Airbnb in Newcastle for a weekend in February 2022 ahead of the wedding of groom Maurice Hawell.

Jurors heard that the men met three young women in a nearby pub and invited each of them individually to their apartment.

After having consensual sex, two 18-year-old victims retrieved their phones from a darkened bedroom, where they were pushed onto the bed, stripped and “surrounded” by naked men, prosecutor Craig Evans previously said.

Because the room was dark, it was not possible to describe exactly who had committed which sexual act. However, the prosecution claimed that the three men had jointly committed the crime of rape and sexually touching the women.

The following night, a 19-year-old girl entered the apartment under the pretext of having a drink, but was raped by Maurice Hawell and David, who took turns swapping sexual positions.

Marius Hawell came into the room and watched, Mr Evans told the court.

On Monday, after eight and a half hours of deliberation, the jury returned unanimous verdicts on nine of the eleven charges against the men.

All three were found guilty of multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault in company, as well as aggravated sexual touching and attempted aggravated sexual assault of a woman, in relation to all three women.

The jury will continue deliberations on the two remaining charges of attempted sexual contact against Maurice Hawell and aggravated sexual assault in company in relation to all three men.

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