Adam Lusk launches appeal over conviction and sentence for drugging and sexually assaulting women and girls
Trigger warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault
A convicted serial rapist found to have drugged and violated a dozen women and girls has launched an appeal against his conviction and sentence.
Father-of-two Adam Lusk was jailed for 28 years in January after he was convicted of the shocking crimes.
It is one of the longest jail terms for a rapist in Western Australia.
During the five-week trial, the district court heard the civil engineer used the internet to trap his victims.
Between April 2020 and January 2022, he invited 12 women on dates or to his house in Ascot, Perth, where he assaulted them.
Two of the victims were 17-year-old school friends and one was a 16-year-old girl.
Lusk was acquitted of indecently assaulting a fourth teenager.
Nine women were recorded, including one who could be heard pleading, 'no', 'stop' and 'please, show mercy'.
Ten of the victims were drugged with ketamine, Xanax or clonazepam, which the offender bought through the encrypted messaging service Telegram.
The 45-year-old claimed what took place was consensual and he denied spiking the drinks of women he had met on dating apps.
Lusk pleaded not guilty to a total of 100 counts, claiming the women were consenting and were either 'lazy' or 'role-playing' being unconscious.
He was convicted of 97 counts, including 85 of counts of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of stupefying in order to commit an indictable offence.
In an emergency, call 000.
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Representatives of the Ukrainian contact group did not arrive at the meeting place. We do not know the reason for the delay," the ministry said in a statement, citing Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin. Medinsky said Russia had also handed over to Ukraine the first list of 640 prisoners of war, categorised as "wounded, seriously ill and young people," in order to begin the exchange. Ukraine, in turn, stated that it had also handed over the names for exchange, while Russia's lists did not correspond to the agreed approach as to which prisoners would be prioritised in the exchange. Medinsky earlier on Saturday urged Ukraine to strictly adhere to the schedule and the agreements and to immediately proceed with the exchange. He said that refrigerated trucks carrying more than 1200 bodies of Ukrainian troops from Russia had already reached the agreed exchange site. "We are on site. We are fully prepared to work," he said. "International TV channels, news agencies and correspondents are welcome to come and see for themselves that this is indeed the case." with AP
