Winery Owner Sentenced To Prison For Rape Of Employee

Sexual misconduct in the foodservice industry has been making headlines in recent months, as multiple famous chefs and restaurateurs have been accused of sexual harassment and more by employees and other associates, and this problem is not unique to restaurants. Sexual misconduct is an enormous problem in many industries, including entertainment, sports, agriculture, and more. Recently in Australia, the owner of an award-winning winery in was sentenced to six years in prison after he was found guilty of raping a young, female employee.

According to The Drinks Business, a 24-year-old woman from Japan was in Australia on a working holiday visa in 2015, and she was reportedly working at Chidlow's Well Winery in Western Australia, northesast of Perth. She was paid in food and lodging at the winery, which was owned by 57-year-old Peter Raymond Costa.

The judge in the trial heard testimony that Costa's wife was out of town one night, and Costa had dinner at the winery with the woman and another international employee, a young man from South Korea. They all reportedly drank a lot of wine, and the woman says she woke up in her bedroom that night with Costa on top of her.

She testified that she screamed, told him to stop, and tried to fight him off, but says he continued the attack and just tried to get her to be quiet. She said the assault only ended when the other employee heard her screaming and came running into the room.

The other employee reportedly testified that he woke up when he heard her screaming for help, and he ran in when he heard her call his name. He also testified that when he came in, Costa and the woman were partially naked, and that she was crying.

The woman reportedly texted friends to come get her, and said in the texts that she'd been raped by her boss. Those texts were reportedly submitted as evidence, and the friends who came to get her testified that she was sobbing and appeared shaken when they arrived.

Costa's lawyer argued that it was consensual sex and the woman had second thoughts, but the judge and jury were not convinced. Costa was found guilty of three counts of sexual penetration without consent. He was sentenced on January 12 to six years in prison and will not be eligible for parole until March, 2021.