DJ accused of locking a woman in his luxury hotel bathroom and refusing to let her leave until she has sex with him is on trial
- DJ Gato Felix accused of locking a woman in the bathroom
- He allegedly forced a woman to have sex with him
- The incident is said to have occurred in 2015 in Noumea, New Caledonia
A Sydney DJ imprisoned a woman in a hotel bathroom and refused to let her leave until she agreed to have sex with him, leaving her with lasting emotional distress, a jury has said.
Felix Azarias Lara, also known as DJ Gato Felix, and the woman were in Noumea, New Caledonia in July 2015 for a dance event.
One day as she was getting ready to go out, Lara started yelling at her and asking her who she was hanging out with, Crown Prosecutor Trish McDonald SC told NSW District Court on Wednesday.
The Parramatta man allegedly carried the woman into the hotel bathroom and dropped her into a running bath, demanding her to have sex with him.
Australian recording artist DJ Gato Felix (pictured) has been taken to court for allegedly locking a woman in a luxury hotel bathroom and preventing her from leaving until she agrees to have sex with him
As she struggled to climb out of the bath, he pushed her into the water and then pushed her against a wall by the throat as she tried to leave the room, Ms McDonald said.
She finally gave in and Lara allowed her to leave for the bedroom, where the couple allegedly had sex.
“She talked herself through the experience, tried to convince herself she wasn’t a victim, and tried to treat it like it was normal sex,” the prosecutor said.
After returning to Australia, the woman initially told friends that Lara had locked her in the bathroom, but she did not disclose that she had been forced into sex, the jury heard.
It was only after telling the whole story to her fiancé, whom she met after the trip, that it dawned on her that what was happening was not just a physical assault, but an assault, Ms McDonald said.
The court heard that the DJ carried her to a bathroom and placed her in a running bath. He then allegedly stopped her from leaving the room until they had sex
A forensic psychiatrist found that she was experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder as a result, she told the jury.
“She will provide evidence about the symptoms she still suffers from – nightmares, anxiety – and how this has continuously and persistently affected her behavior,” said Ms McDonald.
Lara, 38, was arrested in 2022 and pleaded not guilty to intentionally causing serious harm to an Australian national outside Australia.
The defense will give its opening speech on Thursday.
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