Rape trial of competitive bull rider Clay Hall hears closing arguments

A trial in Warwick District Court is hearing closing arguments in the alleged rape case against competitive bull rider Clay Benjamin Hall. Hall, 26, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, allegedly committed in Warwick, a rural town west of Brisbane, in October 2021.

Prosecutors claim Hall met a teenage girl, now a young adult, who was intoxicated after attending a house party. According to the prosecution, Hall propositioned her by offering to show her a shortcut to the Warwick Showgrounds. The girl, instead of outright refusing, said she needed to use the restroom as a subtle way to rebuff Hall. Prosecutors allege that Hall then raped her against a tree, both vaginally and anally.

Hall's defense attorney, David Jones KC, contends that vaginal sex occurred but disputes the allegation of anal penetration. Hall told police he asked the girl to bend over against a tree before having sex for about 10 to 15 seconds before she began crying. He said he stopped immediately after she cried.

The defense also pointed out that while the girl was tested for alcohol, she was not drug tested while in the hospital. The girl's boxing trainer testified that she called the trainer multiple times on the night of the incident, sobbing and saying she had been raped. The trainer found her under a streetlight, crying, and helped her to the hospital.

However, the trainer also noted that the girl had previously mentioned a significant sexual encounter at the house party, which she did not recall and did not mention to the police. The prosecution emphasized this as the most compelling evidence in the case.