- Sébastien Bechaud found guilty of sexual assault in 2021
- Former male model is convicted of assault
Former Melbourne Victory A-League Women’s coach Sebastien Bechaud told a woman to “please me” when he raped her in 2021, a court has heard.
The former male model has been found guilty of sexually assaulting the woman after meeting her on dating app Hinge and is awaiting sentencing in Victoria.
Bechaud, 35, had sex with the woman in a public toilet before the assault, the Victoria County Court heard on Friday.
He pinned the woman to a bed and raped her in early 2021 – and the court was told he spat in her mouth when she screamed for him to stop.
The French national did not respond when the woman repeatedly told him that she was in pain and that he was ‘hurting her’. Instead, he ordered her to “stop moving” and told her to “please me.”
Bechaud’s victim described him as a “large, athletic man” who was “strong and powerful” during the attack, which made her “feel trapped.”
The coach laughed about the incident when he texted the woman after the rape.
Bechaud told her that he was “testing her limits” during the attack, to which she responded that she “told you to stop… it’s not consent.”
Former Melbourne Victory A-LeagueWomen coach Sebastien Bechaud (pictured) awaits sentencing after being found guilty of raping a woman in 2021
Bechaud (pictured) told the woman to ‘give me pleasure’ during the assault, Victoria County Court heard
The French national and former male model (pictured left) later laughed off the attack as he exchanged text messages with the woman
That prompted Bechaud to respond, “lol, giving me your legs is permission.”
When the woman repeated that she told him to stop, meaning she didn’t consent, he wrote back, “It only lasted a few minutes.”
“That’s rough sex with a strong man, baby… you can’t even bend over properly so I can enjoy the doggy.”
When police arrested Bechaud in November 2021, he admitted having sex with the woman but denied sexually assaulting her, the court heard.
“Someone tells me you’re hurting me, I always stop or try to make the girl feel comfortable,” he told police.
“If someone actually gets hurt and doesn’t like it, it scares me… I would quit.”
The woman read an impact statement to the court in which she said she now feels like she is a “vehicle for sexual pleasure.”
“I felt like he was treating me like an animal, hitting me and yelling at me to stop moving,” she said.
Bechaud was working as the head goalkeeping coach for Victory’s women’s team at the time of the rape, and also coached the team’s girls’ and boys’ academy before being fired by the club after being charged in January last year.
He is now awaiting sentencing.