Comments attributable to Slater and Gordon Senior Lawyer, Jackson Pannam
Slater and Gordon Lawyers acts for one of the women who reported being sexually assaulted at the Pullman Hotel on the morning of Monday 17 August 2026.
Victoria Police has decided not to lay criminal charges in relation to the incident reported by our client.
Our client is devastated by this outcome. She reported the incident immediately, provided a formal statement and cooperated fully with the investigation. She has shown enormous courage in coming forward.
The decision by Victoria Police does not amount to a finding that the incident our client reported did not occur, nor does it diminish the seriousness of what she says happened or its profound impact on her.
Criminal and civil proceedings are separate. A criminal case must be proved "beyond reasonable doubt", while a civil court considers whether the alleged conduct is more likely than not to have occurred, known as the "balance of probabilities".
The absence of criminal charges does not prevent a civil claim from proceeding.
This outcome also sits within broader patterns of under-reporting and attrition in sexual offence matters.
Victorian Crime Statistics Agency research⁽¹⁾ indicates that only around one in seven sexual offence incidents reported to police ultimately results in a proven court outcome. National data⁽²⁾ also indicates that only a small proportion of women who experience sexual assault by a male report it to police.
There are systemic barriers that continue to confront victim-survivors of sexual assault in Victoria.
Slater and Gordon Lawyers is continuing to prepare a civil claim against the relevant parties and will continue to support our client through this extremely difficult time.
