Christopher Lovgren: Alleged dating app rapist admits being ‘d...head’ but denies violent sex attacks, threats
A man accused of repeatedly raping and choking a woman he had just met via a dating app insists they only had “rough sex”, admitting he behaved like a “d...head” in a torrent of texts he sent her.
The complainant and Christopher John Peter Lovgren first had consensual intercourse at her house two days after they began chatting on the Plenty Of Fish app.
Texts between the pair, tendered in evidence at his District Court of WA trial, showed he had persistently urged her to meet after she finished a night shift and she had been resistant.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Taking the stand on Wednesday, Lovgren admitted under intense questioning by prosecutor Rebekah Sleeth that he “could be perceived” as pushy, admitting “I asked quite a few times”.
He also admitted that he was “not proud” of increasingly abusive messages he sent her over the following three days while she visited an injured friend in the regions.
These included a vulgar suggestion she was with another man because she was awake late and calling her a “c..t” after she said she wanted to slow things down.
Lovgren admitted in the texts that he was jealous and possessive.
And he admitted in court that he had double standards, estimating he was chatting with about 20 other women on dating apps at that time, but expected the complainant to focus on him exclusively.
“I was acting like a d..khead,” Lovgren testified.
The texts showed he sent her a barrage of messages wanting to know when she was returning to Perth, saying he wanted to meet.
And even though she told him he had scared her, felt triggered and panicked, and didn’t want to see him, the former truck driver wound up inside her house again.
Lovgren admitted in court he had again put pressure on her to meet, insisting he wanted to apologise for behaviour he agreed with Ms Sleeth was utterly unacceptable.
“When I got there, she had a half smirk on her face and called me a headcase,” he testified.
Lovgren had earlier said under questioning by his defence lawyer Tony Hager that the woman’s allegations — that he went on to violate her multiple times that night and into the next day, throttled her twice and put a hand over her mouth — were “absolutely not” true.
He also denied uttering threats that the complainant says made her fear for her life.
“We did have rough sex and I always played the dominant role in that,” Lovgren said.
“That’s just who I am when I have sex. She consented to everything.”
Ms Sleeth asked him what he meant by rough sex.
“A good way to describe it, everyone here has seen porn before,” he replied.
Urged to elaborate, he agreed it meant forceful movements, slapping and dirty talk — suggesting himself that there would be hair pulling.
Lovgren denied he disliked women.
The trial continues.
If you have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing sexual assault and/or domestic violence, contact 1800 RESPECT or 1800 737 732
Originally published on The Nightly