Latest news with #ToowoombaDistrictCourt
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘I knew I wasn't going home': Woman explains nightmare experience as man charged with sexual assault
A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to nine months in jail after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting three women in Toowoomba over an eight-month period. Nasir Ilyas Kicho was sentenced in the Toowoomba District Court on May 16, having already spent 276 days in pre-sentence custody. The court heard the offending occurred between July 2023 and March 2024, and included three sexual assaults, one count of deprivation of liberty, and one count of common assault. Mr Kicho pleaded guilty to the charges and told the court he was 'so sorry'. The first offence involved a 16-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted in July 2023 after Kicho delivered her a DoorDash order. The court heard Mr Kicho groped her and forcibly kissed her despite her protests. He gave her $50 and told her he would return the next day before leaving after being interrupted by a housemate. He initially denied wrongdoing to police but later admitted to kissing her on the forehead. The second assault took place in March 2024 after Kicho met a 42-year-old woman at a brewery. He offered her a lift home, during which he groped her breast and touched her thighs. The third incident involved a young woman who was waiting for an Uber in Toowoomba's CBD. Kicho, posing as a rideshare driver, picked her up and drove in the wrong direction. He stopped at a bottle shop, kissed her, and locked the car doors. The court heard he later took her to his home, where she sent her location to friends before Mr Kicho took her phone. Police arrived soon after and found the woman near his car. One victim explained the nightmarish moment she realised she was in trouble. 'Within minutes, I knew I wasn't going home,' a woman identified as Jess told A Current Affair on Monday. She demanded Kicho be deported for his crimes. 'He needs to be used as an example to everybody else that we let into this country,' she said. 'I was definitely a different person before this happened. It can happen to anybody. Absolutely anybody. And it can keep happening. 'It wasn't a one off. He's done all this on purpose. He knew what he was doing.' In sentencing, Judge Craig Chowdhury described the offending as 'alarming' and said women should be able to get home safely. He acknowledged Mr Kicho had already served more time than would ordinarily be imposed and accepted his guilty plea entitled him to a reduced penalty. Prosecutor Peri Cardiff, said the Toowoomba community 'utterly denounced' the crimes and argued for an 18-month sentence. Ms Cardiff said Mr Kicho had deliberately targeted vulnerable women. Defence barrister Nathan Edridge asked the court to consider the consequences of a sentence exceeding 12 months under Australia's Migration Act, which allows for the deportation of non-citizens sentenced to a year or more in prison if they have not lived in Australia for more than a decade. Mr Edridge said Kicho had arrived in Australia as a refugee in 2022 after living in a Kurdish refugee camp for nearly a decade. He told the court Mr Kicho's wife and daughter remained in the camp, which housed about 10,000 people, and his extended family had been killed during conflict in their home village. Mr Edridge submitted that a nine-month sentence would be appropriate, factoring in the 276 days already served. Judge Chowdhury ultimately imposed a nine-month sentence, saying the time already served was equivalent to a two-year term under standard sentencing discounts. Mr Kicho will be released from custody unless the Department of Home Affairs decides to intervene and cancel his visa.
7NEWS
24-04-2025
- 7NEWS
Bruce Lehrmann lawyer claims vital evidence withheld as tensions escalate in court
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann wants prosecutors to hand over CCTV and witness statements ahead of his rape trial after his solicitor claimed 'important' evidence had been withheld. Lehrmann is accused of raping a woman twice on the morning of October 10, 2021, after the pair met the night before at a strip club in Toowoomba, west of Brrisbane. The case was mentioned in Toowoomba District Court on Thursday. Lehrmann's solicitor Zali Burrows told Judge Dennis Lynch she would make an application for a complete consolidated brief of evidence. 'On March 13, the (Office of Director of Public Prosecutions) pretty much told me in an email they had no intention to further respond to my disclosure requests,' Burrows said. 'The witness list now confirms I'm missing no less than nine witness statements and also important CCTV recordings.' Burrows said the court needed to deal with her need for evidence disclosure before considering the prosecution's application to have Lehrmann's alleged victim declared a special witness. If a witness is granted special status, they can be granted exemptions from normal trial procedures and may give evidence from a remote room, be shielded from the defendant's view or have their evidence and cross-examination pre-recorded on video. Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco said her office could respond directly to Burrows without the need for a court application. 'I would expect that if Burrows just communicated with us as to what material she requires that we indicated was part of the brief, that we would just provide that to her,' Marco said. Judge Lynch said he was not going to enter into a dispute between the two parties about what should or should not be disclosed. '(Burrows) says she doesn't know what she doesn't have ... If the parties can't agree and do it in a sensible way so that the matter can progress, someone needs to file an application and I will deal with the application,' Judge Lynch said. He said he expected all parties to file all their intended pre-trial applications to allow for hearing dates to be set before the actual trial. The matter was adjourned for a further mention on May 22. Lehrmann, 29, was formerly employed as a ministerial staffer in the Parliament House office of Liberal Senator Sue Reynolds. The alleged victim previously told Toowoomba Magistrates Court she consumed cocaine with Lehrmann during a night out before consensual sex at a house in the rural city's east about 4am. The woman said she was woken about 10am by Lehrmann sexually assaulting her. Lehrmann's former defence barrister Andrew Hoare said at a prior committal hearing the alleged victim was too intoxicated to remember giving consent and Lehrmann could have mistakenly believed he had consent for further sex acts. Lehrmann's former solicitor Rowan King previously told Judge Lynch their legal team would apply for the trial to be heard without a jury with a judge determining the verdict.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Bruce Lehrmann's major request ahead of his rape trial - after his lawyer claimed 'important' evidence had been withheld
Former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann wants prosecutors to hand over CCTV and witness statements ahead of his rape trial after his solicitor claimed 'important' evidence had been withheld. Lehrmann is accused of raping a woman twice during the morning of October 10, 2021 after they met at a strip club the previous night in Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. The case was mentioned in Toowoomba District Court on Thursday. Lehrmann's solicitor Zali Burrows told Judge Dennis Lynch she would make an application for a complete consolidated brief of evidence. 'On the 13th of March the (Office of Director of Public Prosecutions) pretty much told me in an email they had no intention to further respond to my disclosure requests,' Ms Burrows said. 'The witness list now confirms I'm missing no less than nine witness statements and also important CCTV recordings.' Ms Burrows said the court needed to deal with her need for evidence disclosure before considering the prosecution's application to have Lehrmann's alleged victim declared a special witness. If a witness is granted special status, they can be granted exemptions from normal trial procedures and may give evidence from a remote room, be shielded from the defendant's view or have their evidence and cross-examination pre-recorded on video. Crown prosecutor Caroline Marco said her office could respond directly to Ms Burrows without the need for a court application. 'I would expect that if Ms Burrows just communicated with us as to what material she requires that we indicated was part of the brief, that we would just provide that to her,' Ms Marco said. Judge Lynch said he was not going to enter into a dispute between the two parties about what should or should not be disclosed. '(Ms Burrows) says she doesn't know what she doesn't have ... If the parties can't agree and do it in a sensible way so that the matter can progress, someone needs to file an application and I will deal with the application,' Judge Lynch said. He said he expected all parties to file all their intended pre-trial applications to allow for hearing dates to be set before the actual trial. The matter was adjourned for a further mention on May 22. Lehrmann, 29, was formerly employed as a ministerial staffer in the Parliament House office of Liberal Senator Sue Reynolds. The alleged victim previously told Toowoomba Magistrates Court she consumed cocaine with Lehrmann during a night out before consensual sex at a house in the rural city's east about 4am. The woman said she was woken about 10am by Lehrmann sexually assaulting her. Lehrmann's former defence barrister Andrew Hoare said at a prior committal hearing the alleged victim was too intoxicated to remember giving consent and Lehrmann could have mistakenly believed he had consent for further sex acts. Lehrmann's former solicitor Rowan King previously told Judge Lynch their legal team would apply for the trial to be heard without a jury with a judge determining the verdict.
News.com.au
24-04-2025
- News.com.au
Bruce Lehrmann's Queensland rape trial delayed as lawyer raises ‘missing evidence' in court
Former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann's Queensland rape case has been delayed again after his new legal team raised concerns about missing evidence. Mr Lehrmann, 29, faces two charges of rape relating to alleged incidents in Toowoomba in October, 2021. Police allege Mr Lehrmann had sex with a woman twice without her consent during a night out in Toowoomba in October, 2021. It was heard during Mr Lehrmann's committal hearing that his alleged victim had been drinking with friends and used cocaine before going to The Vault strip club, where she met a man who introduced himself as 'Bryce'. It is alleged Mr Lehrmann initially gave the woman a false name before later clarifying it as 'Bruce.' After leaving the club, the pair allegedly had consensual sex and used more cocaine. The woman claims she then lost consciousness and awoke to Mr Lehrmann having sex with her without consent, urging him to stop. It is further alleged that moments later, he again had sexual intercourse with her without consent. He has not entered a plea but has previously indicated he will fight the charges. Mr Lehrmann did not appear when his case was briefly mentioned in Toowoomba District Court on Thursday. He was represented by Sydney-based criminal lawyer Zali Burrows, who stepped in after Mr Lehrmann dropped his original legal team in a surprise move last month. Ms Burrows is also representing Mr Lehrmann in the appeal of his failed defamation case against Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson. Appearing via phone on Thursday, Ms Burrows said 'important evidence' was missing from the prosecution brief, including at least nine witness statements and CCTV footage. 'We should not proceed until we can sort out the disclosure issue of the brief,' she told the court. Judge Dennis Lynch made it clear he would not be ruling on the disclosure dispute, saying an application would need to be filed if the parties could not 'agree and do it in a sensible way' so the case could progress. Judge Lynch said he expected both parties to lodge any necessary applications before a trial date is allocated. The matter was adjourned until May 22.
Perth Now
24-04-2025
- Perth Now
‘Missing evidence' in Lehrmann rape trial
Former political staffer Bruce Lehrmann's Queensland rape case has been delayed again after his new legal team raised concerns about missing evidence. Mr Lehrmann, 29, faces two charges of rape relating to alleged incidents in Toowoomba in October, 2021. Police allege Mr Lehrmann had sex with a woman twice without her consent during a night out in Toowoomba in October, 2021. It was heard during Mr Lehrmann's committal hearing that his alleged victim had been drinking with friends and used cocaine before going to The Vault strip club, where she met a man who introduced himself as 'Bryce'. Bruce Lehrmann's rape trial has been delayed again, with his new lawyer raising serious concerns over missing CCTV footage and multiple witness statements. NewsWire / John Gass Credit: News Corp Australia It is alleged Mr Lehrmann initially gave the woman a false name before later clarifying it as 'Bruce.' After leaving the club, the pair allegedly had consensual sex and used more cocaine. The woman claims she then lost consciousness and awoke to Mr Lehrmann having sex with her without consent, urging him to stop. It is further alleged that moments later, he again had sexual intercourse with her without consent. He has not entered a plea but has previously indicated he will fight the charges. Mr Lehrmann did not appear when his case was briefly mentioned in Toowoomba District Court on Thursday. He was represented by Sydney-based criminal lawyer Zali Burrows, who stepped in after Mr Lehrmann dropped his original legal team in a surprise move last month. Ms Burrows is also representing Mr Lehrmann in the appeal of his failed defamation case against Network 10 and Lisa Wilkinson. Ms Burrows said 'important evidence' was missing from the prosecution brief, including at least nine witness statements and 'important' CCTV footage. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia Appearing via phone on Thursday, Ms Burrows said 'important evidence' was missing from the prosecution brief, including at least nine witness statements and CCTV footage. 'We should not proceed until we can sort out the disclosure issue of the brief,' she told the court. Judge Dennis Lynch made it clear he would not be ruling on the disclosure dispute, saying an application would need to be filed if the parties could not 'agree and do it in a sensible way' so the case could progress. Judge Lynch said he expected both parties to lodge any necessary applications before a trial date is allocated. The matter was adjourned until May 22.
