- Ruon Tongyik was accused of raping a woman
- Found not guilty by jury in less than two hours
- Friend Mardochee Manirakiza was also acquitted
A former Socceroo has been acquitted of rape after his lawyers cast him as an honest, gentle man wrongly accused by a wannabe footballer’s girlfriend.
Former Western Sydney Wanderers central defender Ruon Tongyik held his hand to his mouth and hugged his partner after a Sydney District Court jury cleared him of raping a woman at his home in November 2018.
The 12 jurors took less than two hours to return two not-guilty verdicts following a two-week trial that ended on Thursday.
His friend Mardochee Manirakiza was also acquitted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault.
The Adelaide-raised men denied allegations they teamed up to rape an intoxicated young woman, who met the A-League player through Instagram.
The men said the woman instigated a drinking game and engaged in foreplay with Tongyik, before having sex with the friend in a bedroom.
Former Socceroo Ruon Tongyik has been acquitted of rape following an alleged incident with a woman in 2018
The 12 jurors took less than two hours to return two not-guilty verdicts for Tongyik and his friend Mardochee Manirakiza following a two-week trial
The woman reported the alleged rape to a friend on the day but only approached police in 2021, when her airing of the claim on Twitter led to Tongyik’s dumping from Australia’s men’s Olympic team.
Tongyik played two Socceroos matches before the rape allegation surfaced and his international career was put on hold.
He was also stood down pending the trial by the Wanderers, with whom his A-League playing contract has since lapsed.
While the Crown portrayed the woman as an honest and impressive witness, Tongyik’s barrister said her story jarred against other evidence from the day.
Crucially, she sent a text to her sister while in Tongyik’s house minutes after the alleged rape.
In response to the sister asking why she was at Tongyik’s home, the woman replied ‘d***’.
Tongyik’s barrister Georgia Huxley described that text as the ‘biggest problem’ with the crown case.
‘This is three minutes after the sexual assault allegedly occurred,’ Ms Huxley said.
Tongyik (right) and his friend denied allegations they teamed up to rape an intoxicated young woman, who met the A-League player through Instagram
‘She didn’t write, ‘I’ve been raped’, ‘rape’, ‘help’ or something else.
‘That is fatal to the crown case. You could find Mr Tongyik not guilty on the basis of this message alone.’
The woman told the jury Tongyik suggested the boozy drinking game and she took several drinks and blacked out.
When she came to, the woman allegedly found herself naked, standing over a bed with her head being held as the two men had sex with her.
But the woman’s account was a fabrication concocted after the self-described football fan was frustrated she could not have sex with Tongyik, the men’s lawyers argued.
Both men are expected to apply for legal costs.
