A nurse who accused an Australian driver of raping her at a party at Michael Schumacher's house has issued a statement after he was cleared of all charges.
Former racing driver Joey Mawson, 30, has been acquitted of raping Michael Schumacher's nurse after a party at the Formula One icon's home in Switzerland. The Australian had been accused of sexually assaulting the unconscious woman at the Schumacher family mansion in Gland, near Geneva, in 2019, according to The Sun.
The nurse claimed she was raped twice after a cocktail party at the five-time F1 world champion's mansion. Mawson, a former close friend to Mick Schumacher, had always denied the allegations and insisted the pair had consensual sex.
Mawson was acquitted on all charges today as the Swiss court ruled there was "insufficient evidence" to convict him. His lawyer, Luc Vaney, told BILD: "It's a just verdict; he can finally make plans for the future now that his name has been cleared."
The nurse reportedly left the courtroom in tears. She issued a statement after the verdict saying: "I feel terrible. First I was attacked, then I was sacked and now the court has basically said I am a liar. I have been through hell these last six years and the court decides not to convict, saying there was reasonable doubt, but no one can believe it."
Court hearings pieced together the night of the alleged rape
Court hearings had tried to piece together the night of the alleged rape over six years ago. Mawson was playing pool in the billiards room at the end of the party with two other members of the Schumacher family's staff when the woman joined them after finishing her shift, according to court filings.
The nurse had a few drinks before she started to feel unwell and fell asleep on the floor. Speaking to the court during the trial, the nurse said: "It was my sixth consecutive workday. I hadn't had time to eat and was tired." She was then taken to a nearby empty bedroom by other colleagues who put her to bed "without undressing her".
Shortly afterwards, Mawson was accused of entering the room and raping her twice while she was unconscious. The court found this not to be proven true.
During the trial, Mawson told the judge he slept in the woman's room "until the early hours of the morning" so other staff wouldn't find out about their "intimate moment". He also admitted to not remembering parts of the evening when questioned on the stand because of how much he had drunk. Mawson said: "It wasn't until the next morning that I realised how drunk I had been. During the night, I had assumed that she was less drunk than I realised the next morning."
The nurse also said at the time she had no memory of what had happened. But after claiming blood was found on the bedding and she started to notice injuries on her body, the nurse went to hospital.
Nurse was let go from Schumacher's medical team
In October 2020, less than a year after the party, the nurse was let go from Schumacher's medical team. F1 hero Michael – who won seven world championships and 91 races – is believed to require constant care following his tragic 2013 skiing accident. The woman only pursued criminal charges in 2022 when she also informed the Schumacher family of the allegations. None of the family were implicated in the trial or accused of any wrongdoing.
Court evidence also revealed that Mawson had texted the nurse apologetically in the days afterwards. One message said: "I'm so sorry from the bottom of my heart. I'm so sorry for the pain I'm causing you."
Mawson was once a rising star of the motorsport world who dreamt of making it to F1. He was a rival of Schumacher's son Mick and raced against other future racing icons such as Lando Norris and George Russell. But his career was derailed after a doping scandal meant he was banned from driving.
This article was originally published by The Sun and reproduced with permission.
