Balesh Dhankhar,giving evidence in his own defence on Wednesday,also told a jury he and one of his five accusers were “challenging” each other by being “naughty” in public on their first meeting.
Balesh Dhankhar kept a ledger of the women he is alleged to have raped.Sydney Morning Herald
Dhankhar is on trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court accused of spiking the drinks of five women before allegedly sexually assaulting them while they were unconscious.
The prominent member of Sydney’s Indian community allegedly posted ads on Gumtree offering translation work to Korean-English speakers,the NSW District Court heard this month. But police allege his business was a ruse to get the young women to Sydney’s Hilton Hotel bar,up the road from his apartment.
A spreadsheet,released by the court,kept track of many names and phone numbers as well as comments added by Dhankhar.
“Pretty face,smart,has BF,THINKING TO BREAK UP,” one entry reads.
Balesh Dhankhar (right) leaves Downing Centre court on Wednesday.Kate Geraghty
Some names have “BASE4” written on them. Dhankhar on Wednesday told the court that was a code,which he picked up from Hollywood movies,that meant he had been “intimate” with the women.
Police allege Dhankhar’s spreadsheet also contains details indicating he had drugged and raped some women.
“Got angry on base4,doesn’t want to continue - close,” Dhankhar wrote in August 2018.
“Got confised (sic) after 1st base4,take it slow and bring her in,” he wrote about another woman in October.
The jury has watched hours of footage of Dhankhar having sex with the women,which was allegedly filmed on a camera hidden in his bedside alarm clock. His barrister,Rebecca Mitchell,last month told the jury the sex and filming was consensual.
Dhankhar was questioned about pornography found on his computer that appeared to show an unconscious Korean woman having sex.
“Did you have any interest,at any time,in watching sleeping Korean women having sex in pornography?” Mitchell asked.
“No,” Dhankhar said.
“Did you have any interest... in watching drugged Korean women having sex in pornography?”
“No,” Dhankhar repeated.
Mitchell questioned him about fake Gumtree ads he posted in 2017-18 offering work for Korean-English translators.
“I was somewhat feeling guilty,bad,that this is not an official job,” he told the court.
“At the same time,when we talked about other things aside from translation jobs,lots of things between us were in the common interest.”
Dhankhar began crying explaining why he contacted women under false names saying he was “confused” after breaking up with a woman he was having an affair with.
“I just made wrong decisions interacting with people in this manner,” he said.
Dhankhar was taken through a date with one of his accusers.
He told the court they went for a Korean meal after the fake job interview and drank soju - Dhankhar claimed they kissed while playing drinking games.
“The conversation was moving in a way we were both challenging each other,exploring about what we thought were intimate things in that context,” Dhankhar told the court.
Dhankhar said he asked the woman if she liked “naughty stuff” and reached for his phone.
“She said ‘yeah I like naughty stuff’. I picked up my phone and I said ‘how about this?’.”
Dhankhar told the court it was “clear” they were talking about sex.
He further told the court he and the woman walked back to his apartment and had consensual sex.
He recorded during the intercourse,he told the court.
Multiple women,allegedly assaulted by Dhankhar,told the jury they did not consent to sex or to having their photograph taken.
They all met him in the same Hilton cafe before he invited them to a Korean restaurant and then back to his apartment under false pretences,the court has heard.
Balesh Dhankhar said he made “wrong decisions” contacting women using aliases.Supplied
Police allege he spiked their wines with sleeping medicine. Dhankhar’s legal team denies that.
One woman told the court Dhankhar held her up and danced to salsa music as her strength ebbed away,and he tried to kiss her.
“I had no strength,it was difficult for me to resist him,” the woman said through tears.
Her next memory,she told the jury,was being in Dhankhar’s bed without her underwear. “No it’s a crime,it’s a crime,” the woman claims she told Dhankhar.
The woman said that the next morning,she wanted to “jump off the building” and struggled to control her body.
Dhankhar has pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges comprised of 13 rapes,17 intimate recordings without consent,six counts of using intoxicating substances to commit indictable offence and assault with an act of indecency.
The trial continues.
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