Charges in Collingwood sex assault case

A man has been charged with multiple counts of rape over an alleged incident
involving two Collingwood footballers on the night they won the AFL premiership.
Sexual crime squad detectives on Tuesday charged a 22-year-old man with six counts
of rape and one count of both attempted rape and indecent assault.
The man, from Elwood, is not an AFL player. He has been released on bail and will
appear in court on Friday.
Despite the charges, a police spokeswoman told AAP the case is not closed and
detectives are continuing to investigate.
Two Collingwood players were questioned last month after a young woman came forward
with allegations that she was pressured into having sex with multiple men at a South
Melbourne home.
The alleged rape occurred in the early morning of October 3, hours after the Magpies
won the AFL grand final.
It is not known if the two questioned players are potential suspects or witnesses.
Victoria Police would not reveal on Tuesday what connection, if any, the man facing
charges may have with the two players and the alleged victim.
Collingwood spokesman Nick Hulett said he could not offer any insight into the
progress of the police investigation.
"From a club point of view, we are taking it very seriously as we always have, but
we're not in a position to comment," he told AAP.
While no charges have been laid against any players at this stage, several media
outlets still named both players, which infuriated the club and the league.
"It is damn well irresponsible," Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said on radio
station Triple M last month.
"Now, everybody knows and these players, their names, their reputations, their
families, possibly even the case that's up before them has now been prejudiced by
outside media influence for no other reason than a blatant grab for ratings and
notoriety."
Police say they are still searching for two women who could help in the case.
Both women left Eve nightclub on City Road in South Melbourne in the early hours of
October 3, where the alleged victim had been partying earlier that night.
One woman had been with two men in a taxi and driven to a residence along Dorcas
Street in South Melbourne.
Another woman walked to the address with a man, police say.
Both are believed to have only been at the home for a few minutes before they left,
walked down to Clarendon Street and caught another taxi home, police say.
The man facing charges will appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday.