Darshan Gautam, 28, was granted bail on several charges, including sexual intercourse without consent. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to allegations of sexual assault.
A man is accused of forcefully raping his new housemate about a week after he moved into their Canberra sharehouse.
The woman was awake in the early hours of the morning earlier in 2025 when 28-year-old Darshan Gautam asked her if she wanted to watch a movie with him, court documents say.
They started watching the movie in her bedroom while he held her hand. About 10 minutes later, he allegedly started kissing her without her consent while she froze.
It is alleged that he repeatedly indecently assaulted her and grabbed her neck, stopping her from breathing, then orally raped her. Afterwards, he told her they should be friends.
The woman spoke to several people almost immediately about what had happened. She messaged one that when she was allegedly assaulted, she “was completely frozen in fear and couldn’t breathe”.
She reported the incident to police and went to hospital for a medical examination that same morning.
Once Mr Gautam learned of the allegations against him, he handed himself in at a police station.
The documents say he told police the entire incident in the woman’s bedroom was consensual, and he claimed he continually asked her if she was okay with what he was doing.
The Nepalese citizen spent time in custody after being arrested, before making his second bail application in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday (30 September). There, his lawyer, David Bloomfield from Legal Aid, stated that he would heavily contest the charges.
“They are simply allegations,” Mr Bloomfield said.
The court heard Mr Gautam moved to Canberra three years ago and was a student who worked at a luxury hotel, helped manage music events and was deeply involved in the local Nepalese community.
Mr Bloomfield said his client had no prior criminal history, and if he were refused bail, the time he would spend in custody ahead of a trial would be “enormous”.
He said there was no basis to suggest his client would pose a threat to anyone in the community other than the woman, and he posed very little risk to her.
“He does not know her,” the lawyer said, adding that they interacted for a very brief period of time.
But prosecutor Alexandra Back, when opposing bail, claimed it was the fact that he didn’t know the woman very well that meant he posed a risk of reoffending in the community.
She also said the woman had expressed concerns for her safety if he was granted bail.
Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker noted how, after Mr Gautam handed himself in to police, he admitted engaging in the acts with the woman, but claimed he thought they were consensual.
As a result, she said it was neither a particularly weak nor a particularly strong prosecution case.
The chief magistrate said he appeared to have very strong ties to the ACT community, and there was no basis for her to form the view that he would likely further offend if released.
Bail was granted on conditions including that he live in Canberra, surrender his passport and not contact the woman or go near their previous address.
He has entered not guilty pleas to single counts of sexual intercourse without consent and choking, as well as seven counts of committing an act of indecency without consent.
The matter will return to court on 12 November.
If this story has raised any concerns for you, 1800RESPECT, the national 24-hour sexual assault, family and domestic violence counselling line, can be contacted on 1800 737 732. Help and support are also available through the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre on 02 6247 2525, the Domestic Violence Crisis Service ACT on 02 6280 0900, Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377, Lifeline on 13 11 14, or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800. In an emergency, call triple zero.
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