World of Warcraft gaming meeting ended in alleged rape

A night out to socialise with online role-playing gamers ended with an alleged sexual assault in a couple’s hotel room, a jury has heard.

Victorian man Taylor Johnson pleaded not guilty to the alleged assault of a fellow gamer during a World of Warcraft social weekend in Sydney.

His trial began on Tuesday in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court with his barrister telling the jury the pair did have sex and it was entirely consensual.

The alleged victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is expected to say the 33-year-old had sex with her while she was asleep, heavily intoxicated and not willing to have sex with him.

“She was asleep or unconscious at the time the sexual intercourse commenced,” prosecutor Daniel Rainey told the jury.

“She was so affected by alcohol that she was incapable of consenting.”

Johnson’s barrister told the jury the alleged victim, who had also travelled from Victoria, was a willing participant.

“The complainant, despite the alcohol she had consumed … did and could consent to this sex,” Harriet Skinner said.

Johnson, his partner and the complainant were all members of the same “guild” in the online game, and its leader had organised for members to meet in Sydney in March 2025, Mr Rainey said.

The name of the guild was “Brave and Crazy” and they would conduct twice-weekly raids in the game, agreed facts in the case state.

After arriving in Sydney separately, the trio met for the first time in person at the Fortress gaming venue in the city centre to participate in a raid for their guild, the jury heard.

Over the course of the night, the three consumed copious amounts of alcohol, the jury heard.

An expert is expected to say the alleged victim consumed 18 standard drinks during the night, Mr Rainey said.

In the early hours of the morning, Johnson started to kiss and sexually touch the intoxicated complainant at a nightclub, the jury heard.

The three took an Uber back to Johnson and his partner’s hotel where the complainant could no longer stand or walk on her own.

Having wheeled out a trundle bed for the alleged victim to sleep on, Johnson got in the room’s main bed with his partner, the court heard.

But about 4:30am, the alleged victim woke to Johnson having sex with her while groping her breast, Mr Rainey said.

His partner was still asleep, the prosecutor said.

Ms Skinner disputed the complainant’s account, saying the sex was “completely and entirely consensual”.

Later that week, the complainant texted Johnson looking for answers about the sex in the hotel, Mr Rainey said.

“It was very much mutual until we both were like ‘what the f***’,” Johnson is said to have replied.

“Please don’t reply, I’m having my world crumble at the moment and I’m trying to salvage what I can.”

The trial continues.

AAP

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