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Labor staffer, second-year law student charged with two counts of rape
A federal political staffer and second-year law student has been charged with two counts of rape over an incident alleged to have taken place earlier this year.
Naomi Neilson
The Australian National University (ANU) second-year law student Alexander Matters was arrested on Friday, 20 September and formally charged on Saturday morning based on a sexual assault complaint received by ACT police last month.
Mr Matters’ federal labor employer MP David Smith also confirmed in a statement that Mr Matters’ employment had been terminated.
“My thoughts are with the woman who’s come forward at this time. There are serious issues currently being dealt with by the appropriate authorities. It would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time,” Mr Smith said.
According to the ABC, Mr Matters’ lawyer Andrew Fraser applied for bail for his client, but the prosecution raised concerns about statements of self-harm made to police. Mr Fraser insisted it was a throwaway line due to shock of the situation but ACT Magistrate Peter Morrison said he had to consider the comment carefully.
“He’s a person in some shock,” Mr Fraser was reported to have said to the ACT Magistrates Court. “It’s his first interaction with the criminal justice system.”
No official court date has been set for Mr Matters’ next appearance.
Help is available. Contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Respect on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732). Each law society and bar association also has further contacts available on their respective websites.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
