British millionaire, 32, to stand trial for Bondi Beach rape on woman, 21

• Entrepreneur Greg Cox, 32, from Battersea, South London, has never denied having sex with the woman but always insisted it was consensual
• In September, his lawyers unsuccessfully applied suppress his name from the media on account of his privileged background and successful career
• He runs Quintessential Finance Group, offering loans to people with poor credit ratings
• Magistrate rules it would be a matter for the District Court to decide if Mr Cox should be allowed home before the trial, unlikely to be held before May

Public schoolboy: Greg Cox, who runs a firm offering loans to customers with poor credit ratings, spends much of his time flying round the world for pleasure or marketing conferences

A millionaire former public school boy is to stand trial in Australia for the alleged rape of a young woman on Bondi Beach.
Entrepreneur Greg Cox, 32, is accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman from Bermuda at a fashionable bar on the beach in January.
Cox, from Battersea, South London, has never denied having sex with the woman but always insisted it was consensual.
Appearing in court in September, his lawyers unsuccessfully applied for an injunction in a bid to keep his name out of the media on account of his privileged background and successful career.
They argued that the fact that he comes from a well-known family and attended an elite boarding school - Millfield near Glastonbury, Somerset - coupled with his high standing in the British business community, he would suffer 'undue embarrassment' as a result of the charges.
At today's committal hearing, convened to decide whether there is enough evidence to take the case to trial, Mr Cox's barrister, Graham Turnbull, said there were 'inconsistencies' in versions of events his alleged victim had given to police.
He claimed that, under cross-examination her allegations would unravel and there was a reasonable chance the charge against Mr Cox would be dismissed.
Nevertheless, Magistrate Greg Walsh ruled the 'Crown case is not without strength' and Mr Cox's chance of a fair trial would not be prejudiced.

 

The businessman – who runs a firm offering loans to customers with poor credit ratings – spends much of his time flying round the world for pleasure or marketing conferences.
Among his Facebook friends he lists 'It girl' Peaches Geldof.

Fashionable: Cox is said to have met the woman he is accused of raping at the Bucket List nightclub close to Bondi

Sun, sea, sand... Cox is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman on Bondi Beach after meeting her at a Bondi night club

In recent years he has been a director of a number of companies and was living in a £1million flat in Battersea, South London.
Cox is accused of raping a 21-year-old woman on Bondi Beach after meeting her at a Bondi night club.

Society friends: Among Cox's Facebook friends he lists 'It girl' Peaches Geldof, pictured at a red carpet event in London earlier last month

He is said to have met the woman he is accused of raping at the Bucket List nightclub close to Bondi.
The assault is alleged to have occurred on January 22 between 11.10pm and 11.30pm. Cox has denied the allegations against him.
According to Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph, Cox has been staying at a luxury beachside apartment in the suburb of Bronte, a few miles from Bondi.
He is said to have been snorkelling at Hamilton Island, off the Queensland Coast, and attended a surfing event in the Sydney suburb of Manly.
His lawyers today made an application to amend his bail conditions to allow him to return to Britain to look after his business interests.
But the magistrate ruled that it would be a matter for the District Court to decide if Mr Cox should be allowed to return home before the trial, which is unlikely to be held before May.
On the Quintessential company’s website, he is described as an entrepreneur with more than 12 years’ experience running his own company ‘from start-up to £40million turnover’.
It said Cox and a colleague were in Sydney to attend a digital marketing conference being held at Darling Harbour last January.
His goals, Cox says on a personal website page, are 'very simple – be the best at what I do'.
He also has a London-based company called Cloud9 Media.
His Quintessential Finance company lays heavy emphasis on socialising with its business partners, issuing invitations to a party in Las Vegas and posting tweets in anticipation of a night out in New York.