Tinder Date Turned Nightmare: Prison Officer Raped and Choked by Woman After Relationship Breakdown

A Melbourne prison officer was sexually assaulted and choked during an encounter with a woman he had been dating, a court has heard.

Stephanie Dadd-Zammit, 35, pleaded guilty in Melbourne County Court to four offences, including rape by compelling sexual penetration and assault, after the relationship broke down.

The court heard how their initially consensual relationship deteriorated before prosecutors alleged the victim was sexually assaulted after he told Dadd-Zammit he no longer wanted to continue seeing her.

Tinder Romance Turned Into Harassment After Break-up

The pair had consensual sex on multiple occasions after matching on Tinder. But prosecutors said tensions emerged after the victim decided he did not want the relationship to continue.

An early point of tension came after the pair had unprotected sex and the victim asked Dadd-Zammit to take the morning-after pill. She initially refused, although she later sent him a Snapchat photograph showing she had taken it.

Prosecutors said Dadd-Zammit also became upset after discovering the victim still had an active Tinder profile. She told him she was 'disappointed' because they were 'seeking different things' and warned him, 'I warned you from the very beginning'.

On 6 September 2024, Dadd-Zammit called him 99 times between 12.59am and 2.13am, according to allegations put before the court. The victim also received an audio message warning that she could 'dox' him and advising him to obtain an intervention order.

He later received messages from a person calling himself 'Anton', who claimed to be Dadd-Zammit's former boyfriend. The messages described her as an 'evil c***', warned the victim against becoming 'entangled' with her, but also urged him to contact her.

Police later established that 'Anton' was actually Dadd-Zammit.

Victim Says Tinder Date Became a Sexual Attack

The victim subsequently drove to Dadd-Zammit's home and persuaded her to get into his car. Prosecutors said she appeared intoxicated and angry before asking him to drive her to his house.

Once inside, she allegedly told him he had 'made the biggest mistake of [his] f***ing life' and refused to leave unless police were called. She drank wine for almost two hours and made comments about 'splitting' before telling the victim they could continue talking in his bedroom.

The victim said he did not want to have sex. Court documents allege that Dadd-Zammit was naked on his bed, attempted to kiss him and threatened him if he did not remove his clothes.

According to prosecution allegations, she climbed on top of him, restrained his arms and knelt on his legs, preventing him from moving. The court heard that she then compelled sexual penetration despite the victim crying and saying, 'Please stop, Steph. I don't want to do this'.

Prison Officer Says Woman Tightened Her Grip When He Said No

The prosecution alleged that Dadd-Zammit placed a hand around the victim's throat as she attempted to mount him. Each time he said 'no', she allegedly tightened her grip.

The victim said the grip was 'not painful', but he was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. He did not consent to being choked and eventually pushed Dadd-Zammit away because he feared he could be injured or sexually assaulted again.

The court heard Dadd-Zammit allegedly told the victim she could do whatever she wanted and 'get away with it'. She also allegedly claimed she could 'get what the f*** I want'.

'And the funny thing is, no one will believe you,' Dadd-Zammit allegedly said before leaving the bedroom and continuing to drink wine.

Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors were expected to argue that the victim's erection during the alleged assault was not evidence of sexual desire or consent.

Stephanie Dadd-Zammit Pleads Guilty as Sentencing Awaits

Dadd-Zammit pleaded guilty after a jury had been empanelled and the case was ready to proceed. Her guilty plea included rape by compelling sexual penetration and assault.

After the incident, the victim contacted a friend and called triple-0. Police later found Dadd-Zammit asleep at the victim's home, while the victim was visibly distressed.

She initially denied the sexual offending and claimed 'Anton' was an ex-boyfriend, before police established that the account belonged to her. Dadd-Zammit's bail was extended for a pre-sentence hearing, with sentencing to follow her guilty plea.