Former Canberra sex worker 'gained nothing but turmoil' after being stealthed, court hears
A former Canberra sex worker has told the ACT Supreme Court she has found nothing but turmoil after she was the victim of stealthing in a local brothel.
A jury found Aleksandar Ivanovski guilty of a single charge of of rape after he was found to have removed a condom during his encounter with the woman.
Today he has faced a sentencing hearing where the victim told the court of her struggles after the incident.
"As a woman I think it's easy to minimise what happened, to be quiet, to shut things down," she said.
"From this experience I have gained nothing but turmoil.
She said she's chosen now to get on with life.
"Despite the pain and suffering I've made the decision to move forward," the woman said.
"I hope Ivanoski finds it in his soul to become a better person."
Prosecutor Tamzin Lee told the court Ivanovski's actions were "morally reprehensible" and the only suitable sentence was full-time jail.
Ms Lee said he'd displayed a sense of entitlement when he took off the condom.
"This offending occurred because the offender wanted to have sex without a condom," she said.
Ms Lee said he had been refused, and "he did it anyway".
"He positioned himself and her in a position where she could not see," she said.
"It indicates a view of entitlement."
She noted in interviews with others before the hearing he continued to deny the crime, and seemed to think he was the one who had been hard done by.
Ms Lee pointed particularly to an assessment suggesting he was a good candidate for rehabilitation, saying that was flawed given he had failed to give a full account to the person preparing the report.
But Ivanovski's lawyer Joshua Nottle urged the court to consider options other than jail, including an intensive corrections order to be served in the community or a partially suspended sentence, so time behind bars would be minimised.
Mr Nottle said Ivanovski has suffered mental health issues since being charged, with his life spiralling out of control.
He also said Ivanovski has had to endure a long delay in proceedings, with the "sword of Damocles" hanging over him since the police first spoke to him in 2022.
He rejected Ms Lee's characterisation of the crime.
"There's no suggestion of entitlement," he said, although he conceded Ivanovski denies the crime.
Justice John Burns will hand down his sentence next week.
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