Aussie actor John Jarratt is found NOT GUILTY of raping a woman he says ‘seduced’ him into consensual sex
- John Jarratt has been found not guilty of raping housemate over 40 years ago
- The 66-year-old Wolf Creek star had testified he was seduced by the woman
- He said they had consensual sex in 1976 at the house they shared with his wife
Actor John Jarratt has been found not guilty of raping his housemate more than 40 years ago.
The 66-year-old Wolf Creek star had testified before the NSW District Court jury he was seduced into having consensual sex with the woman in 1976 at the Sydney house they shared with his wife, Rosa Miano, and at least one other person.
‘(She said) she found me attractive and, from there, there was, I feel, a seduction,’ he told the NSW District Court on Thursday.
Actor John Jarratt (pictured in Wolf Creek) has been found not guilty of raping his housemate more than 40 years ago
‘I, unfortunately, participated in that. I willingly had sex with her and she willingly had sex with me. It was consensual.’
Jarratt was charged after the woman went to police in late 2017.
But the jury took just two hours to return the not guilty verdict on Friday afternoon.
The woman earlier told the court she was woken about 3am by Jarratt ripping off her bed covers and underwear before he pinned her down, covered her mouth with his hand and raped her.
Actor Cassandra Magrath told the jury she had played the woman who was tortured and murdered by Jarratt’s character in the movie Wolf Creek.
Their roles had been very intense and she trusted him and he never behaved inappropriately.
‘He expressed to me his disgust and horror at that particular type of behaviour,’ she said, referring to the actor’s role.
More to come
Jarratt arrives at Downing Centre Court in Sydney’s CBD on July 5, ahead of being found not guilty