It is understood that Mr Gabrieli, who has partial custody of his two small children, was on the app pretending to be a doctor. Police will allege that after the midday assault, Mr Gabrieli drove the victim to the train station where she caught a train home and called police. As well as two charges of aggravated sexual assault and two of indecent assault, Mr Gabrieli is also charged with hindering a person executing a crime scene warrant. Mr Gabrieli was arrested on Wednesday, and briefly faced Waverley Local Court on Thursday morning. Wearing jeans and a business shirt as he sat in the dock, Mr Gabrieli did not apply for bail which was formally refused by Magistrate Lisa Stapleton.

Outside Waverley Local Court on Thursday, his barrister Daniel Brezniak told reporters that the daytime encounter between the pair in January had been consensual sex. “He says that he had no assault of the young woman. He is entirely innocent of the charges and is going to deal with it in the ordinary way and make an application for bail,” Mr Brezniak said. “He categorically denies it,” he said. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video When asked about the eight-month gap between the alleged rape and police charges, Mr Brezniak said he didn’t know.

“That’s exactly what we’re wondering.” He will return to the same court on September 19. Investigators are also appealing for anyone with information that may assist or has been a victim of sexual assault though the online dating app to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Billed as a female-friendly alternative to online dating juggernaut Tinder, Bumble claims to "empower women by giving them the ability to control the conversation" on its website. "The unique model of putting women in charge and employing robust reporting has allowed Bumble to achieve incomparably low reports of harassment and abuse. Bumble is a safe platform for people to connect in dating, friendship, and networking," it says.