Two Queensland men charged with separate rapes, both released on bail
Two Queensland men, who have been charged with separate rapes, have been released on bail in as many days.
In a shocking daylight attack outside a far-north Brisbane shopping centre, police allege a 23-year-old man raped a 20-year-old Korean woman last Friday.
It's claimed the accused followed the alleged victim from Morayfield shopping centre about 11.30am.
Witnesses heard her screams and rushed to help, pulling the alleged attacker off her before chasing him and holding down until police arrived, the Courier Mail reported.
On Saturday, Caboolture Magistrates Court heard the accused's family would be under considerable financial pressure if he was kept in custody as the unemployed man needed to be home to look after his children while his wife worked.
Magistrate Louisa Pink granted him bail given he had no prior criminal convictions and results from the alleged victim's medical examination were yet to be revealed.
The man was ordered not to leave his home aside from reporting to the police station or court, He was also banned him from contacting witnesses or the victim.
He is scheduled to reappear on September 19.
In a separate case before the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday, a former refugee charged with allegedly raping a woman in Brisbane he met on dating apps was also granted bail.
The 26-year-old man is a political refugee from the Middle East who spent two years on Christmas Island before arriving in Australia four years ago.
He has been charged with four counts of rape, all relating to a July 17 incident, The Courtier Mail reported.
The court heard the accused went on a date with the woman after chatting to her on Tinder and Plenty of Fish.
Police opposed a bail request from the man on the grounds he was not an Australian citizen and could be a flight risk.
But defence lawyer Nic Tobin told the court the man was a permanent resident and had lived at the same Brisbane address since arriving in Australia, and had a business with various contracts, the newspaper reported.
He also said the four counts of rape against the man related to a "relatively tenuous consent issue case".
"Consent will be a real, live issue in this case," he said.
Magistrate Bronwyn Springer granted the accused bail and ordered he must not contact or approach the alleged victim.
Other bail conditions imposed included that he stay living at his address, cannot apply for a passport or go within 200m of an international departure point.
He was also ordered to undergo a disease test, to which he contested.
But the magistrate decided against imposing a condition that he not access dating sites and apps like Tinder on the grounds that such orders were often "problematic" and because there was no evidence the man had committed any other offences linked to similar sites.
The case was adjourned until August 15.
