Hindley St, Adelaide gang rape: Five men charged over alleged assaults on two women

Five males have been charged over the alleged gang rape of two women in the stairwell of a car park in Adelaide‘s city centre. 

South Australia Police allege the two women, aged 18 and 19, were on a night out when they walked past the Hotel Plaza car park off Hindley St just after 11pm on Sunday.

The two women allegedly saw a group of seven males near the car park with one of the teenagers knowing the men through an ex-boyfriend.

The girls were invited to drink and smoke cannabis with the group before they were allegedly forced into a stairwell and repeatedly raped for more than 30 minutes.  

A 23-year-old man from Kensington – whose identity was suppressed – appeared at Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday afternoon to apply for bail.

He is the fifth person charged in relation to the alleged gang rape. 

Police are still hunting two more men they allege were at the stairwell on Sunday night.

Police allege the women were repeatedly raped in the stairwell of an Adelaide carpark on Sunday

Five men have been charged over the alleged incident with police still looking for two more suspects

Police prosecutor Brevet Sergeant Amanda Sparnan opposed the 23-year-old’s bail, telling the court the women were forced to perform a number of sex acts with three of the alleged attackers.

‘Some raped, while others watched,’ she told the court.

One of the women allegedly witnessed her friend being raped by other men in the group because she could see her down a gap in the stairwell, Sgt Sparnan told the court.

The court heard one of the women managed to escape but went back to try and rescue her friend – and was allegedly raped again on her return.  

Sgt Sparnan told the court one of the women was also offered money to not take any ‘action’ against the alleged gang rapists.

Police are still figuring out which of the seven men allegedly raped the girls and who watched, Sgt Sparnan added.

Given there are more people allegedly involved that are still out there, police hold concerns over the welfare of the girls, she said. 

The car park is just off one of Adelaide’s busiest streets

One of the women escaped but went back to save her friend before allegedly being raped again, a court heard on Wednesday

The lawyer for the 23-year-old who is charged with two counts of rape argued he should be given bail because he works two jobs to care for his son and the charges were contested.

His DNA was found on a bottle of alcohol at the scene but Sgt Sparnan told the court the evidence to date appeared to show he was one of the ones that watched. 

Magistrate Nick Alexandrides ordered a home detention bail report be completed to determine if the 23-year-old could serve his bail at home and ordered his identity be suppressed in the meantime.

He will rule on the suppression order and the 23-year-old’s bail application next week.