A jury has been unable to reach verdicts in the trial of a man accused of stealthing two sex workers in Canberra.
Yolynn Chetty, known as Owen Chetty, faced a two-week ACT Supreme Court trial after he was charged with two counts of having sexual intercourse without consent. The 41-year-old previously pleaded not guilty to each charge, with the jury remaining deadlocked on Wednesday, June 3, after deliberating for about six days.
Justice Belinda Baker sent the 12 jurors home about 11am after receiving a note stating they were undecided on both counts.
“Thank you for persevering and trying to reach a verdict,” she told the jury. “It has been very clear to me that you have worked very hard on behalf of the court and the community. Thank you very much for your time, service and work.”
The charges related to two alleged acts of stealthing, which occurs when a person secretly removes a condom without a sexual partner’s consent. It was alleged that Chetty booked a professional escort’s services at his apartment in August 2023 and secretly removed the condom during sex. He was also accused of having sex without a condom with a different sex worker at a Canberra brothel in January 2024, despite the business not offering “natural services”.
In her closing address to jurors, the prosecutor said while it was not disputed that the two women agreed to provide sexual services to Chetty, they did not consent to unprotected sex. In both instances, the prosecutor argued that Chetty was positioned behind the women and took advantage of his placement to remove the condom. “He saw an opportunity to take what he wanted and that’s precisely what he did,” the prosecutor told the jury.
However, Chetty’s defence barrister, Michael Gleeson, said the evidence in both cases didn’t “stack up”. He argued that the first alleged victim did give her consent to have sex without a condom, and claimed that no sexual intercourse took place with the second sex worker at the brothel in 2024.
Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Canberra Rape Crisis Centre 6247 2525; Women’s Legal Centre ACT/Sexual Violence Legal Service 6257 4377.
