Two friends accused of raping woman in 'extremely violent' alleged assault

CONTENT WARNING: This article refers to an alleged sexual assault.

Two men have been accused of sexually assaulting the same woman in an “extremely serious and violent” alleged assault.

Jasper Lawrence Nim Wilkinson, 29, and John Conteh, 26, are both accused of raping the woman at a home in Canberra earlier in April 2025.

It is alleged she was too intoxicated to consent or was affected by a substance that caused her to lose consciousness during the incident.

The woman went straight to hospital on the same day of the alleged assault, then contacted police the day after.

Mr Wilkinson and Mr Conteh were both charged with a single count of sexual intercourse without consent and applied for bail when they faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday (8 April).

The prosecutor opposed bail for both, alleging the two were “very close” friends and had committed “an extremely serious and violent offence”.

She alleged Mr Wilkinson sent a message to the woman after the alleged assault, telling her she had been “fully aware” she was having sex with Mr Conteh.

The prosecutor said police were still downloading data from the men’s phones and were yet to seize CCTV showing the outside area of the home where the alleged assault took place.

She also said the woman’s family had threatened the two men.

“The police are concerned that the threats will be carried out,” the prosecutor said.

“They’re concerned about the safety of both defendants.”

Mr Conteh’s lawyer, Legal Aid’s Alana Clarke, said her client had no criminal history and had spoken to police about the allegations. She noted the woman didn’t hold any concerns for her safety in regards to him.

He lived in Gungahlin and received Centrelink welfare benefits while casually working for food delivery service DoorDash, she said.

Ms Clarke asked for him to be granted bail on conditions she said were essentially house arrest.

Mr Wilkinson’s lawyer, Amelie McCarthy of Legal Aid, argued the prosecution’s case was “not the strongest” as there was “ambiguity” about the alleged offending.

She said her client had been cooperative with police, lived in Macgregor, worked full-time in construction and supported members of the community who struggled with drug use.

However, the prosecutor said the woman was concerned about Mr Wilkinson being released from custody, as he apparently contacted her after the alleged incident.

When addressing the strength of the prosecution’s case against the two men, Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker said it was currently “equivocal”.

She said the nature of the threats from the woman’s family to the men was not enough to imprison them for their own safety, that much of the evidence in the case had been obtained and the men’s phones had been seized.

Also, the CCTV showed the external buildings around the home where the alleged assault took place, so it was unlikely to be significant in the investigation, she said.

Chief Magistrate Walker said Mr Wilkinson denied having sex with the woman, so the issue for his case would be whether or not the act occurred.

She said there was not enough of a basis to refuse bail and granted it for both men on conditions including they not contact the woman or each other, not be near her or each other and not drink alcohol.

Their matters were adjourned to 28 April and neither entered a plea.

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.