An Iranian refugee has faced court accused of raping a young woman after they met at a nightclub birthday party.
Kaz Shwan, 36, spent a month in custody before being granted conditional bail in the NSW Supreme Court last month, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Justice Hament Dhanji said the case against Shwan seemed “reasonably strong” but determined that he was not a flight risk due to his refugee status and noted that he suffered from seizures that would be difficult to treat in custody.
Shwan’s lawyer Peter Kondich said his client planned to contest the charges, citing text messages the day after the alleged rape that could put the woman’s claims in doubt.
According to court documents, police will allege Shwan plied his alleged victim, 18, with alcohol at a friend’s birthday part at Wave Nightclub on August 3. He allegedly demanded her address when she left in an Uber, and then allegedly turned up at her apartment 15 minutes after her.
Police will allege she let him in, and after failing to convince her to go to another party with him that he pushed her onto the bed, choked her, and raped her for the next two hours. He allegedly hit her face and body, demanded she hit him back, and ordered her to perform oral sex.
The alleged victim told a friend about the alleged rape later that day, and her mother the day after that. She then made a report at Chatswood Police Station where police took photos of alleged injuries including bruises to her arms, neck, lips and knees.
Police arrested Shwan, a commercial painter, a week later and charged him with one count of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent.
Shwan will face court again next month.
Header image: Wave Nightclub (Google Maps)
