Doctor faces court – Local GP accused of raping woman six times in a night

A BENDIGO doctor accused of raping a woman six times in one night yesterday appeared in court.General practitioner Dr Arvind Sharma, 33, is also charged with three counts of indecent assault and one count of attempted rape against the 24-year-old complainant.Police allege the offences occurred early on December 10 last year at the accused's Bendigo home.They allege Sharma knew the complainant and both had been drinking before the offences took place.The charges do not relate to his work.Sharma appeared at a committal mention in Bendigo Magistrates Court yesterday.His defence barrister Robert Timms applied to cross-examine two people who were at a nightclub with the complainant and accused on the night the offences are alleged to have taken place.Mr Timms said the complainant's level of intoxication was relevant to the case, as to whether she had the ability to consent or not.Michelle Florenini from the Office of Public Prosecutions said it did not matter how drunk the complainant was.In fact, she said, a gross level of intoxication would bolster the crown case that the woman had not consented.Magistrate Donna Bakos agreed."Her level of intoxication has no bearing on whether she's consenting or not," she said."If she's intoxicated, then she's presumed not to have consented."Sharma was not asked yesterday to formally indicate whether he would contest the charges.Ms Bakos granted leave to cross-examine four witnesses, including four police members, at a one-day committal hearing on November 23.