Equestrian champ whose Olympic dream was shattered after being accused of rape is cleared 

Equestrian champ Callum Buczak has been cleared of damning rape allegations that destroyed his dreams of competing at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Daily Mail Australia has confirmed all charges against the 28-year old, and his equestrian girlfriend Alexandra McDonough, 29, were last night discontinued by Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions, bringing an end to a three-year nightmare for the pair. 

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Thursday, Buczak’s barrister Damian Sheales confirmed all charges against his client had been discontinued.  

‘Buczak’s denial of the charges has been ultimately vindicated through the rigours of the justice system,’ he said.  

Callum Buczak was an Olympic hopeful. Pictured here with partner Alexandra McDonough

Alexandra McDonough hooked up with Callum Buczak shortly after he broke up with his alleged rape victim. She has had stalking charges against her discontinued 

Alexandra McDonough and would-be Olympian rider Callum Buczak in a photo posted on social media 

Buczak and his girlfriend McDonough – a beautiful young rider that mixed in the same horse-riding community – had also faced stalking charges related to the alleged victim, both of which have now too been discontinued. 

The pair had long proclaimed their innocence, with Buczak previously taking to social media to defend his reputation.

‘The allegations made against me are strongly denied and shall be vehemently opposed,’ he posted after his arrest in February 2019.

Buczak had been at the top of his sport and had his sights set firmly on Tokyo when his life was tossed upside down. 

He had hooked up with an impressionable young rider after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend McDonough. 

He had only been in the relationship for a few weeks when he decided to call it quits and rekindle his relationship with McDonough, who would become embroiled in the ugly mess that followed that fateful night on February 28, 2019. 

Alexandra McDonough, 29, of Dromana, walks hand-in-hand into a Melbourne court in May last year with her long-time boyfriend Callum Buczak, 28.

Police alleged Buczak had gone to the woman’s Frankston address to break-up with her, but viciously raped her before leaving and returning to McDonough. 

Buczak spent a period behind bars – his reputation and Olympic dreams destroyed – before being released on bail. 

McDonough had faced a charge of stalking amid claims she tried to intimidate and stalk Buczak’s supposed victim in the weeks before and following the alleged sex attack.

His alleged victim would later flee the country amid claims of a terror campaign carried out by Buczak and McDonough. 

Buczak had pleaded not guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last year to raping the woman. 

His Tokyo dream had already been shattered after the International Federation for Equestrian Sports suspended both he and McDonough from all events until the legal proceedings came to their conclusion.

The court heard Buczak’s alleged victim had recorded her entire encounter with him, including the alleged rape. 

Why she had an audio recorder running that night remains unclear. 

Her evidence was provided to the court behind closed doors – free from the prying eyes of the public and media. 

Alexandra McDonough was  accused of helping her boyfriend Callum Buczak intimidate a woman who alleged he raped her. All charges have been dropped

Alexandra McDonough laughs with Callum Buczak as they approach the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in May

Alexandra McDonough (right) faced a stalking charge related to her boyfriend Callum Buczak. It has now been discontinued

It is a legal requirement done to protect victims of sexual assaults from being identified to the wider community.  

Buczak’s barrister  had painted his client’s accuser as a lying, manipulative, jilted lover who set out to destroy the couple’s lives after Buczak unceremoniously dumped her and returned to the arms of McDonough. 

With the help of her journalist father, the court heard the pair went about tearing down their careers, sponsorship deals and dreams of success in one of the most dangerous sports going about. 

More than 100 deaths a year are estimated to result from equestrian related activities in the United States, with two young riders killed in recent years right here in Australia. 

Elite riders are few and far between, and Buczak was considered among them before he was accused of being a rapist. 

Mr Sheales told a preliminary hearing into the stalking matters that the alleged victim was carrying out a vendetta against his client and McDonough.  

‘There was no rape, it was consensual,’ Mr Sheales said.

‘He goes to her place to split up … the rape allegedly occurs that night.’

The court heard Buczak immediately cut-off all contact with his alleged victim, which infuriated her. 

‘They haven’t split-up obviously in her mind,’ Mr Sheales said. ‘He blocks her on leaving there and she’s texting him … and then it’s just a vendetta. We say it’s just vengeance.’

Mr Sheales told the court the alleged victim had made calculated steps to destroy his client, including using both police and her father. 

Alexandra McDonough, 29, of Dromana, is the long-time girlfriend of would-be Olympian rider Callum Buczak, 28, and a champion rider in her own right

‘They’re all calculated of her taking her revenge on him,’ Mr Sheales said. 

The woman’s father endured an intense grilling from Mr Sheales over two days. 

The pair fired barbs at one another as Magistrate Bernard Fitzgerald tried to maintain order. 

Mr Sheales accused the dad of using his supposed pull in the media to kill Buczak and McDonough’s livelihoods, reputation and sponsorship deals. 

He did so, Mr Sheales claimed, by blackmailing Equestrian Australia and Horseland – Australia’s leading retail equestrian brand – by suggesting that if they didn’t dump the pair he could publicly link them to protecting a rapist. 

He had phoned Horseland within minutes of being told McDonough – who worked for the company – had allegedly been trawling his daughter on Instagram.  

Mr Sheales further claimed that the alleged victim’s father himself had been behind a vandalism attack on his daughter’s horse float, which was pinned on Buczak and McDonough. 

The float had been keyed and had its rear lights broken during an equestrian event following her split with Buczak. 

However, when she reported the incident to police, she made no mention of the broken rear lights. 

Callum Buczak will now fight to get his life and career back on track in the hope of getting another Olympic shot 

Alexandra McDonough remains committed to Callum Buczak, who had been accused of raping a woman in 2019

The court heard CCTV footage of the alleged victim leaving the arena that day further indicated the lights had been working. 

Her father denied he or his daughter had caused the damage themselves. 

But Mr Sheales wasn’t done yet. 

The barrister told the court the alleged victim had falsely claimed McDonough had attempted to run her over while she was out for a jog.  

She had claimed McDonough – who was 300kms away and had a sound alibi – knew her running route because she had put it up on Instagram. 

‘You’ve ultimately become aware that the allegation was false, and it was three card trick putting up her running route a week before. And you know it,’ Mr Sheales claimed. 

‘That’s out of a B-grade detective novel mate,’ the father responded. ‘You gotta do better than that.’

‘Much of this is,’ Mr Sheales replied.