Young woman defends sex predator who paid to avoid Croatia rape trial

Ashwin Kumar, Waleed Latif and Dylan Djohan.

One of the Australian men who paid more than $10,000 to avoid being jailed for rape in Croatia has been confronted by a TV crew while on a date.

Channel Nine's A Current Affair confronted Waleed Latif, 21, inside a cinema complex in Melbourne.

Latif and two friends, Dylan Djohan, 23, and Ashwin Kumar, 23, pleaded guilty to raping a 17-year-old Norwegian girl at a nightclub in Split in July, 2015.

They paid the victim $31,594 as part of a deal to avoid a trial and prison.

According to the Daily Mail Latif refused to address the crew from Channel Nine but his female companion jumped to his defence.

"If it was rape, why would he only pay $10,000?" she said.

"You're disgusting for harassing him... what feral girl would accept $10,000."

Latif's parents have also defended their son, saying he had "done nothing wrong".

The court heard one of the two men led the Norwegian girl into the toilets and the other two followed. They began to assault her but she fought them off and reported the incident to police.

They were arrested and charged with rape and having "endangered the girl's sexual freedom". Forensic evidence on her clothes linked the three men with having sexually assaulted her.

Two admitted having consensual sex with her while the third is believed to have denied any liaison, although traces suggested otherwise.

- nzherald.co.nz