Angus Robertson found guilty of repeatedly raping fellow cadet at Australian Defence Force Academy

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to sexual assault.

Angus Ross Robertson, 24, has been found guilty of repeatedly raping a fellow cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) at the end of his jury trial.

He pleaded not guilty to four charges when his ACT Supreme Court trial began last week.

Jurors deliberated for a day before returning to the courtroom on Wednesday morning (9 April).

They announced they had found him guilty of all charges, being two counts of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of committing an act of indecency without consent.

There were sighs and gasps from his supporters sitting in the courtroom’s gallery when the guilty verdicts were announced. Robertson had no visible reaction.

Justice David Mossop thanked the 12 jurors for their service before dismissing them.

Afterwards, prosecutor Marcus Dyason said while prosecutors would argue a jail sentence was “inevitable”, he would not make an application to revoke Robertson’s bail that day.

Robertson’s barrister, Sharyn Hall SC, asked for a report for an intensive corrections order, a type of community-based sentence, to be ordered.

Justice Mossop adjourned for the sentencing to begin on 17 July.

Jurors heard that on the night Robertson assaulted the woman at ADFA in October 2022, she allegedly repeatedly told him things like, “We’re not having sex” and that all she wanted to do was kiss.

However, she alleged he made “very pushy, persistent comments”, such as, “Oh come on, you know you want to have sex with me” and “Let me show you how good I can f-k you”.

By the guilty verdicts, he was found to have indecently touched her body twice and digitally raped her.

The woman claimed they then began having sex after she said, “Yeah, sure”, but he didn’t stop when she told him to, and she had to push him off her.

During the trial’s closing submissions, Ms Hall claimed the woman gave a very affirmative example of consent.

“‘Yeah, sure’; you can’t get more affirmative than ‘yes’,” she said.

“Those were the words she said out loud.”

However, Mr Dyason alleged that before the assault, the woman “clearly and repeatedly” told Robertson that all she wanted to do was kiss, but he “goes directly beyond the limit that [she] has just set”.

He alleged Robertson repeated persistent and forceful comments about letting him have sex with the woman and performed non-consensual acts on her before she said, “Yeah, sure”.

He alleged this meant when she said, “Yeah, sure”, her consent was not freely given.

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 02 6280 0900, the Sexual Violence Legal Services on 6257 4377 and Lifeline on 13 11 14. In an emergency, call Triple Zero.