Newcastle bucks weekend gang rape trial: Court hears cruel jibe as friends mocked groom who had sex with ‘less attractive girl’

A groom was ridiculed by his friends during his stag weekend for having sex with the “least attractive” of two teenagers, after claiming they were raped by members of the group, a court has heard.

Maurice Howell was 27, his brother 20 and David 28 when they travelled from Sydney to Newcastle with six other men in February 2022 in preparation for the elder Hawell’s wedding.

Three women, Ms. A, Ms. B and Ms. C, testified before the jury that they were sexually abused in an Airbnb rented by the group. However, they were unable to identify the men responsible.

Mrs. A and Mrs. B, both 18 at the time, stated that they had been raped together in the apartment on Friday evening, while 19-year-old Mrs. C stated that she had been assaulted the following evening.

Maurice Hawell and David claim that the sex they had with the women was consensual and deny performing any acts, while Marius Hawell maintains that he did not participate in any sexual activity at all.

The three men are on trial together at Downing Centre Court over their shared involvement in a criminal organisation.

The court heard that on Friday their friend ‘Matt’ had consensual sex with Mrs A in one bedroom, while Mrs B had consensual sex with Maurice Hawell and David in another bedroom.

Matt is not accused of doing anything wrong at any time.

He told the court that while he was having sex with Mrs A, Maurice Hawell came into the room and said: ‘Hey boys, do you want a threesome? [Miss B] is also enthusiastic’.

Matt said he followed Mrs. A’s lead by saying, “It’s up to you,” and she said the same thing to him.

He denied that Maurice Hawell had touched Miss A’s upper thigh before she was asked to leave the bedroom.

Matt also denied telling Maurice Hawell during a conversation outside the bedroom door: ‘[Miss A] is happy to have a foursome with us as [Miss B] also join us’.

Mrs. A and Mrs. B testified that they were later raped by several men in the room where Mrs. A and Matt were having consensual sex.

Matt told the jury on Tuesday that he saw Mrs A, Mrs B, Maurice Hawell and David in the bedroom, “kissing and having sex” with the light on.

He said he went to the room because he heard Miss A yelling, “Where’s Matt?” He said, “Hey, I’m here, are you OK?” and she said, “I’m OK.”

Three women, Miss A, Miss B and Miss C, have told police they were sexually assaulted in an Airbnb rented by the group, but they have not identified the men believed to be responsible. Maurice Hawell is pictured

Mrs. A stated that she repeatedly shouted, “Where’s Matt?” and that several male voices responded, “I’m Matt.”

Under cross-examination, Matt said he believed Miss A enjoyed having group sex with his friends. ‘She seemed to,’ he said. ‘She seemed to really enjoy it.’

When asked if he felt the same way about Mrs B, he replied: ‘Yes, she did too, but I was only there for a very short time’.

Matt said he may have heard Mrs. B ask, “Is someone going to fuck me?”

Mat told the court that after the group sex had ended, he walked with Ms A and Ms B to the nearby Cambridge Hotel, where they had met earlier in the evening.

“We talked, kissed and danced a little,” he said of his interactions with Ms. A.

Matt said that shortly after he left the pub for the night, he received a phone call from Mrs A.

“She called me after two hours, I don’t remember what time, from her friend’s phone,” he told the court.

“She said, ‘Can we come back to the room and stay there?’ and I said, ‘Yes, if you want.’”

Maurice Hawell and Andrew David claim that all sex they had with the women was consensual and deny performing any acts, while Marius Hawell (above) maintains that he took part in no sexual activity at all.

Matt said the women decided to stop coming to the apartment after he told them he couldn’t drive them home the next morning.

Mrs. A had sent him a message around 4 a.m., which he answered a few hours later when he woke up. “Did you get home safely?” he wrote.

Matt said that when the group went to breakfast that day, some of them laughed at Maurice Hawell “because he had broken up with the less attractive girl.”

Maurice Hawell and David are charged with eight counts of aggravated sexual assault in company, one count of aggravated sexual assault of another person and one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault in company.

Marius Hawell is charged with six counts of aggravated sexual assault in company, one count of aggravated sexual assault of another person and one count of attempted aggravated sexual assault in company.

The trial, presided over by Judge Gina O’Rourke, continues.