Melbourne lawyer accused of rape “thanked victim” after assault

MELBOURNE - A high-profile Melbourne criminal lawyer accused of raping a woman he met at a bar allegedly said, “Thanks for that” and walked off after the assault.

According to documents tendered to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, Alastair Grigor allegedly pushed the victim onto a car bonnet and held her down while he raped her in September last year.

The courtroom was closed while the victim gave evidence via videolink in a committal hearing for Grigor, who is facing one count of rape.

The allegations were contained in the statement of Senior Constable Adam Pongho, who attended the scene and spoke to the victim in the early hours of September 27.

The victim told Snr Const Pongho that the pair had met at the Grace Darling Hotel in Collingwood and she had given him her phone number.

In the statement, the victim said Grigor was “really nice”‘ and asked lots of questions when they talked at the pub.

As the hotel was closing, they walked down a nearby street and kissed on a corner before going into a car park, where Grigor then forced her over the bonnet and raped her.

“I was telling him to stop and that I didn’t want it. I’m not a s-t,” News.com.au quoted the victim as having told the officer.

When Snr Const Pongho asked the victim if Grigor spoke to her after the attack, she replied: “No. Just ‘Thanks for that’ and he walked off”.

Crime scene investigator Stephen Farrar told the hearing he collected DNA from the bonnet of a vehicle in a Collingwood car park.

The committal hearing will take place on December 10. (ANI)