Two men accused of raping two women after double date

Two men appeared in court Thursday accused of raping two women they had gone on a double date with.

Police inspector Wayne Buhagiar said the two women had turned up at the St Julian’s Police Station alleging rape on Tuesday.

The women said they had met 26-year-old Özgür Evciman and Özgür Dokuzer, 42, on the Bumble dating app.

The four went out for drinks, ending up at Evciman’s apartment. The four were on the bed when Dokuzer allegedly told his date, “I want to f*ck you.”

The pair went to the bathroom, where he allegedly forced himself onto the woman, who stopped him, insisting she wanted to have protected sex. The man allegedly continued to force himself on her.

In Evciman’s case, the woman alleged he first penetrated her using his fingers, then forced himself onto her. She told police she had been drunk at the time of the alleged assault and could not remember clearly all the events that took place that night.

Dokuzer, who lives in Pietà, was charged with raping the woman and holding her against her will. He denied the charges.

Defence lawyer Kathleen Calleja Grima requested bail. She argued that the alleged victims filed a report much later than the alleged incident. Their testimony was also preserved in a recorded statement.

She underlined that her client and the alleged victim did not know each other, had only met on a dating app and were essentially strangers. The lawyer said her client had blocked the alleged victim on social media.

“The alleged incident happened on November 6; they reported the matter almost a week later,” she said.

“There was no inquiry, and his arrest is based on the report and their statement. My client is in the dock because of these allegations, almost a week after the encounter,” the lawyer argued, referring to a WhatsApp exchange where her client denied the allegations.

She also underlined that the man was duly employed and his employer could testify and act as a third-party guarantor in the event of Dokuzer being granted bail.

The employer then took the stand and said Dokuzer had been employed with him for some time, and he knew the man’s family. The employer added that he could step in as a guarantor in the event of the accused being granted bail.

AG lawyer Kristina Bartolo objected to the bail request, saying the women had not yet testified, and the men knew where they lived because the women had shared a location for the accused to pick them up.

Evciman, who lives in Gżira, denied the rape charges against him. He was further accused of holding the alleged victim against her will, committing non-consensual sexual acts on the woman and harassing her.

Lawyer Giannella De Marco requested bail.

The lawyer explained the alleged victim had filmed a video of the view from her client’s apartment after the alleged rape and posted it to her Instagram. “If someone has been raped, they don’t film and post on Instagram,” the lawyer said.

She added that the morning after the alleged rape, the two women had left Evciman’s apartment with Dokuzer for breakfast, and went to the latter’s apartment, where there was another man.

“The morning after the alleged rape, they went for breakfast and she went to sleep with him [Evciman] again,” the lawyer said.

Evciman’s employer testified that he was willing to act as a third-party guarantor for the man in the event of his being granted bail.

The court rejected both requests for bail, and both men were remanded in custody.

Magistrate Ann Marie Thake presided. AG Kristina Bartolo prosecuted, assisted by police inspector Ian Azzopardi and Wayne Buhagiar. Lawyer Giannella De Marco and Charles Mercieca assisted Evciman. Lawyer Kathleen Calleja Grima assisted Dokuzer.