There was no screaming, no crying.

She didn't say "stop" or "no".

Instead, the 18-year-old from country New South Wales says she followed orders.

She got down on her hands and knees despite bits of broken glass and bitumen digging into her skin.

In a dark, dank laneway she "arched her back" for Luke Lazarus and, "did what I was told".

And why? The teenager later told the judge alone trial she did it because, "I was scared."

The ruling in the Luke Lazarus case has sparked outcry and raised red flags.

Luke Lazarus was found not guilty of the 2013 rape behind his father's Kings Cross nightclub. (AAP)

Yesterday, that same, scared woman cried, as Mr Lazarus was found not guilty of the 2013 rape behind his father's Kings Cross nightclub.

During the re-trial, Judge Robyn Tupman recognised the woman did not consent.

But because she'd made no attempt to flee, she also accepted Mr Lazarus' "genuine and honest belief" that the 18-year-old virgin, was a willing participant.

"I accept that she did not, in her own mind, intend to convey consent to sexual intercourse."

But, "I have come to the determination that the Crown has not established, that there were no reasonable grounds, for believing the complainant was not consenting."

It's a ruling that has sparked outcry, and raised red flags.

Because, certainly, you cannot punish the personal reaction of a woman terrified by what is happening to her?

If one freezes-in-fear, instead of fleeing. Or one bites ones lip, instead of shouting? Have they not been raped?

Well maybe they have, but as this case shows, proving lack of consent and proving rape are not always the same thing in a court of law.

The ruling sets a dangerous precedent for women. And for men, too.

It also may deter others from coming forward to report.

The road to exoneration for Luke Lazarus has been long, tortuous and controversial, for both he and the complainant.

His subsequent prosecution and criminal trial generated a blizzard of unwelcome scrutiny from local and national news media.

It was the early hours of May 12, 2013, when the backdoor of a nightclub closed, and a young, bewildered woman suddenly found herself outside.

It was her first time out in Sydney's infamous Kings Cross, and just three minutes earlier, she'd made eye contact with a man across the dance floor.

He'd approached, flashed his business card, before telling her he was a co-owner of Soho, and introducing her to the DJ.

Mr Lazarus then led her out to the laneway, where they kissed.

The woman, who can't be named for legal reasons, said she wanted to return inside to her friend.

But she said Mr Lazarus held her back, and told her to "put your f----ng hands on the wall".

In her closing address Crown prosecutor Cate Dodds said, "She was an 18-year-old virgin, who had known this accused for a matter of minutes and who had engaged in consensual kissing and possibly body rubbing, but did not give consent to the anal intercourse that followed."

But Mr Lazarus always maintained his innocence.

The Soho nightclub in Kings Cross has now been shut down. (9NEWS)

Andrew Lazarus, Luke's father, was the owner of the Soho nightclub at the time. (AAP)

From the moment he was arrested in the days following the incident, to the eleven months he spent in jail, after being found guilty by jury in 2015.

His luck began to change in February, when the state's highest court overturned the conviction.

The appeal was lodged on the grounds the original judge misdirected the jury.

According to law, in order to establish that a rape has occurred, prosecutors must not only prove that the victim didn't consent to sex, they must also prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knew the victim didn't consent.

During the retrial, Defence barrister Phillip Boulten, SC, argued the complainant raised her body towards his client, and denied he was told to stop.

"What she did and what she said were a perfectly reasonable basis to inform a belief or a view that she was consenting," Mr Boulten said.

Yesterday, the woman who accused him of rape sobbed, as the not guilty verdict was read out.

Her resilience these past four years needs to be recognised.

Luke Lazarus maintained his innocence throughout the two trials. (AAP)

Meanwhile, Luke Lazarus exhaled and hugged a supporter.

At just 25-years-old, he's already spent 11 months in jail for a rape, a court now says, he did not commit.

Did he act like a gentlemen that night? In his own words, no.

You may not agree on the verdict, but at least we can all agree on that.

It is obvious there is still much work to be done on creating a culture that respects women and the sanctity of sex.

And as for the conundrum that is consent?