Sebastien Bechaud: Former Melbourne Victory women's A-League coach jailed for 'appalling' rape

A sacked Melbourne Victory women’s coach has been jailed and may be deported after raping a woman who screamed for him to stop.

French-born Sebastien Bechaud, 35, was found guilty of raping the woman in early 2021 after meeting her on the dating app Hinge.

He repeatedly wiped away tears as he appeared via video link from prison before the County Court in Melbourne, where he was sentenced to four years in prison with a non-parole period of 20 months.

The former women’s A-League goalkeeper coach raped the woman on his bed, the court was told on Friday.

She screamed for him to stop but he spat in her mouth and continued raping her.

The victim tried to get away but Bechaud slapped her and told her to “stop moving”.

Judge Liz Gaynor said he treated the woman as an object and was oblivious to the damage he was inflicting.

“For a person who has purported professionally to be such a supporter of women in the sporting field this is, apart from not being acceptable, it is appalling,” she said.

Bechaud and the woman previously had consensual sex in a public toilet and engaged in “experimental blindfolding” after he had revealed his sexual fantasies.

After the rape, the pair exchanged a series of WhatsApp messages which were read to the court, prompted by Bechaud asking “I guess we’re done”.

She replied: “You hurt me. I didn’t want to continue having sex. I was screaming stop but you kept going. My neck’s still sore and I didn’t like you spitting in my mouth. So yes I think we’re done.”

Bechaud then suggested he was “testing” her, describing their encounter as “rough sex” and claiming she had given her consent.

She wrote back “When I stay stop, that’s no longer consent”, to which he responded, “(it was) only a few minutes c’mon”.

Bechaud, who relocated to Australia in 2015 after his football career ended following an arm injury at age 22, landed his “dream job” at Victory in 2019.

He was promoted to the role of head goalkeeping coach of the women’s team in 2020 but was sacked in March 2023 after being charged.

The woman said she had lost her sense of liberty and the rape had affected her interactions with men, including her current partner.

“If we ever have a disagreement, even though I’m not physically threatened, I still curl up in a ball to physically protect myself because he is a man,” she in a statement read to the court.

“This happens unconsciously and is something I never did before the incident.”

Bechaud has already served 80 days in custody.

Given his visa status and the length of his sentence, Judge Gaynor said it was almost certain he would be deported back to France once released from jail.

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028.