Justin Kane Millington has been found guilty of sexually abusing two women he met on the dating app Tinder - including raping one of his victims in bushland near the Fernleigh Track.
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Millington, who was on bail while the allegations against him were tested in court, was taken into custody on Tuesday after a jury delivered guilty verdicts on all 10 counts just before 11am. Deliberations began on Thursday afternoon.
The decision means that the jury accepted the Crown's case that Millington assaulted and raped his first victim after the pair met at Lake Macquarie following some chat on Tinder in 2020.
A year later, Millington sexually touched another woman multiple times without her consent after he met her on the dating app.
Police arrested him in November, 2021, and he was subsequently charged with five counts of sexual assault and one of inciting sexual touching in relation to the first woman.
Four counts of sexual touching without consent relate to the abuse of the second woman.
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Millington, now 50, denied the charges and gave evidence in Newcastle District Court last week, arguing the encounters were consensual.
The court heard during the trial that Millington raped the first woman and incited her to manually stimulate his genitals.
In relation to the second woman, the court heard he was at her home when he pulled her onto his lap and touched her genitals and breast, among other places, without her consent.
Both women, who each gave evidence during the trial, told him to stop.
The first woman told the court that she "just froze" when Millington began to touch her breast after they stopped at a lookout on the Fernleigh Track.
"I just remember thinking 'I don't want to make this man angry ... so I'm just going to do as I'm told'," she said in court.
The woman said she followed Millington into an area of bush near the track, where he told her: "I'm going to take advantage of you now".
She said to Millington "oh no, do you at least have a condom", hoping it would stop the attack.
But he responded: "no, it'll be quick". He then raped her, during which time she said to Millington: "no, I'm not OK with this".
During the trial, Crown prosecutor Kristy Mulley said Millington had run "a very big risk" of ruining his marriage by arranging to meet people on Tinder and that he was "determined to have sexual contact with these women regardless of their views".
Judge Penny Hock on Tuesday adjourned the matter to May for submissions on sentencing.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
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