Joey Mawson, the Australian racing driver, has been identified as the alleged rapist accused of assaulting one of Michael Schumacher’s nurses during a stay at the Formula 1 legend’s residence. The 29-year-old racer is alleged to have attacked the unconscious woman twice following a cocktail party at Schumacher’s mansion in Gland, Switzerland.
Mawson denies the allegations, insisting their relationship was intimate and consensual. He also claims that they had previously shared a kiss at a nightclub in Geneva. Born in Sydney, Australia, Mawson was once tipped to become an F1 star before his performance declined and he chose to return to race in his homeland.
He was a close mate of Schumacher’s son, Mick, and competed against future stars of the sport, including McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ George Russell. A trial was set for this week and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the District of La Cote had prepared a one-and-a-half-page indictment for the case.
However, Mawson, who is a double champion of the Australian S5000 and now banned from racing due to a doping scandal, failed to turn up in court on Wednesday.
Despite his absence, the trial was formally opened, but then postponed to “a date to be fixed”, according to The Sun.
No member of the Schumacher family are implicated in the case.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office’s indictment accuses Mawson of raping one of Schumacher’s nurses while she was unconscious after a night of vodka cocktails.
The unnamed nurse, who was a live-in carer for Schumacher following his devastating skiing accident in 2013, is said to have been assaulted by Mawson.
Court documents suggest that Mawson was residing at Schumacher’s home on the night of the alleged incident, which is believed to have occurred on November 23, 2019.
Mawson was reportedly playing pool with two other members of Schumacher’s staff when the alleged victim joined them after a tiring shift.
It’s claimed that after the nurse had been taken to bed, Mawson is alleged to have returned and sexually assaulted her unconscious body. The nurse lodged a criminal complaint over two years later, in January 2022.