Natalia Marjorie Hanson: Text messages woman sent to transgender man days after allegedly raping him

A woman for not guilty of raping a transgender man as he slept messaged the complainant days later to apologise for touching him and claiming she thought he ‘wanted it’, a jury has been told.

Natalia Marjorie Hanson was on trial at Brisbane District Court accused of digitally raping the man, who was transitioning from female to male at the time of the alleged incident more than three years ago. 

Natalia Marjorie Hanson was on trial at Brisbane District Court accused of digitally raping the man, who was transitioning from female to male at the time of the alleged incident more than three years ago.

She pleaded not guilty to the charge.

A jury took about one hour to reach a unanimous verdict after being sent out to deliberate on Wednesday.

During closing arguments on Wednesday, Ms Hanson’s defence team urged the jury to carefully weigh up the evidence given by the complainant and whether they had doubts about the element of consent.

‘That, is the basis you would find Ms Hanson not guilty of the offence,’ defence barrister Charlotte Smith submitted.

During closing arguments on Wednesday, Ms Hanson’s defence team urged the jury to carefully weigh up the evidence given by the complainant and whether they had doubts about the element of consent

Throughout the trial, the Crown has argued the man woke up feeling ‘vaginal pain’ and found Ms Hanson digitally raping him on June 29, 2020.

The pair had been messaging over Snapchat and Ms Hanson went over to his house that same day.

But Ms Hanson’s defence team has said the acts were consensual, pointing to a police interview where she gave an ‘honest’ account of the events.

During her closing argument, crown prosecutor Victoria Adams recited more messages between Ms Hanson and the complainant days after the alleged offence.

The man sent Ms Hanson a message reading: ‘Why the f**k did you touch me while I was asleep?’

She responded: ‘I thought you wanted it. I’m sorry.’

Crown prosecutor Victoria Adams said Ms Hanson sent another message where she said ‘all I can say is I’m sorry’ while the man replied: ‘You’re lucky I didn’t report it’.

The court was told Ms Hanson then said: ‘I’m sorry, I always manage to f**k everything up, I’ll leave you alone, I don’t want to hurt you anymore than I have, but just know that I’m sorry and you won’t hear or see me again.’

‘In order to use this evidence as an admission against interest, you must be satisfied the defendant wrote those messages … (and) the messages accurately reflect an admission against interest, and these admissions indicate the guilt of the defendant,’ Ms Adams said.

The court was told the major issue at the trial was whether the complainant had consented to the act.

Ms Adams said the pair had no intimate relationship at the time.

‘It is a matter for you to determine whether you accept the evidence of the complainant,’ Ms Adams said.

Ms Adams pointed to ‘contradictions’ in Ms Hanson’s interview with police, including claims she ‘didn’t do relationships’ as she liked having ‘multiple partners at the same time’.

‘They go to credibility and reliability,’ Ms Adams said.

A jury has heard closing speeches from the defence and prosecution in the trial 

Ms Smith used her closing to urge the jury to carefully consider the evidence given by the man, which she submitted was ‘unreliable’.

‘He said the words ‘I don’t recall’ 50 times in his evidence,’ she said.

‘There were other times he might have said something else indicating a lack of recollection – ‘I don’t remember’, for example.

‘The sheer number of expressions … was striking.’

Ms Smith said her client’s interview with police was ‘honest’ as she was candid about factors like her drug use.

In the interview, Ms Hanson is heard saying she heard the man ‘moaning’ during oral sex.

‘He was quite happy, he was all fine’ she says in the interview.

‘He got up, had a shower. After that, (I) said goodbye and went home.

‘That was the first time.’

Ms Hanson then tells detectives she stopped when she noticed ‘a tiny bit of blood’.

‘Because I had long nails at the time I scraped and scratched a little bit … a soon as I saw a little bit of blood I instantly stopped and told him,’ she says.

The man then showered before telling Ms Hanson: ‘I haven’t bled like that before.’

In the interview, Ms Hanson tells police there was ‘no indication’ the acts with the man were not consensual.

‘No ‘Please stop’, no ‘I don’t want this’,’ Ms Hanson tells police.