A friend of Michael Schumacher’s son, accused of raping one of the F1’s legend’s nurses, has been named.
Australian racing driver Joey Mawson is alleged to have attacked the nurse who was part of the round-the-clock medical team caring for Schumacher after he suffered a head injury in a ski accident.
The accused driver has since fled back to Australia but faces extradition back to Switzerland as ‘he has not been heard from in months’.
He did not appear at the opening of his trial.
In his absence, the rape trial was formally opened, but then adjourned to ‘a date to be fixed’.
This was because of the non-appearance of the defendant, prosecutor Xavier Christe confirmed.
Patrick Michod, for the victim, opposed the adjournment, arguing that ‘the evidence [against the defendant] is overwhelming.’
Three judges sitting in court deliberated for an hour before agreeing to the adjournment.
Switzerland has an extradition treaty with Australia, so the defendant could technically be forced to travel to Europe.
Mawson, 29, who strongly denies the charges, has claimed their relationship was close and consensual – they had a kiss at a Geneva nightclub.
As a close friend of Schumacher’s son, Mick 26, he regularly stayed at Schumacher’s Swiss mansion when he was competing in Europe.
The indictment reads the nurse had been carried to bed after a night playing pool in 2019, according to broadcaster 24 Heures.
After drinking vodka-based cocktails she complained of feeling unwell and was ‘carried to bed’ in a private room reserved for staff during night shifts, the prosecutors claim.
She was put into her bed ‘without being undressed,’ and she fell asleep.
Mawson, who was staying next door, allegedly returned to the bedroom and sexually assaulted her twice as she lay unconscious, according to the indictment.
The two other colleagues say they ‘saw and heard nothing’ but the victim noticed ‘material evidence’ the next day.
Who is Joey Mawson?
Joey Mawson rose through the racing ranks and competing in several junior championships.
The Australian of Peruvian descent is a double champion of the Australian S5000 Championship.
He regularly competed against his friend Mick Schumacher in the MRF Challenge series, even snatching a title off him.
But he was banned from all racing for three years until 2026 after he was found to have taken a banned substance.
He blamed his girlfriend for recommending the drug Mildronate calling the period ‘the darkest hours, days and months of my life.
‘A living nightmare I couldn’t wake up from for months on end’, he said.
The 29-year-old has already completed more than two-years of the ban and wishes to return to racing, as he apologised for his mistake.
‘I love racing, my passion won’t go away. I miss it everyday so I do hope I can be back in the seat someday’, he said.
In text messages, seen by prosecutors, she accused the Australian pilot who has failed to get a F1 career, of the attack but ‘tried to move on’.
In fear of losing her job with the Schumachers, she reported the attack two years later in 2021.
The Schumacher family are not named at all and have not been invited to comment on the case.
No-one from the family was present at the time of the alleged sex attack, according to prosecutors.
The Formula One legend’s health has been shrouded in secrecy ever since his skiing accident in December 2013.
He has not appeared in public since, and his family have protected his privacy at their Lake Geneva home.
But Felix Gorner, a reporter for German broadcaster RTL, revealed Schumacher ‘can no longer communicate verbally’.