An international student at the Australian National University allegedly confessed to raping a sleeping victim in Facebook messages he sent the woman nearly three years after the fact.
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Police say the woman was only alerted to the incident when she received the messages earlier this year, but the alleged rapist claims there was "a typo" and that the sex was consensual.
Chavin Jagath Seneviratne, 23, was arrested at his on-campus accommodation on Wednesday and brought before the ACT Magistrates Court on a charge of rape.
Police documents tendered to the court say the Sri Lankan national and the alleged victim met while studying at the university.
One night in 2017, the woman went to Mr Seneviratne's room to talk to him because she was upset about something that had happened with her boyfriend.
She wanted to "cuddle", and as this progressed to kissing and touching she said she did not want to have sex.
According to the documents, the pair promised not to tell anyone what had happened and the woman fell asleep on Mr Seneviratne's bed while he started to work on an assignment.
Police allege that while the woman was asleep and unable to consent, Mr Seneviratne digitally penetrated her.
She later woke up and left, unaware that anything had happened while she was sleeping, according to police.
In January this year, Mr Seneviratne told the woman via Facebook Messenger that "the thing that happened between us was my fault".
"U came to me upset looking for some kindness and I took advantage," he said.
"If u had never spoken to me again I'd understood [sic]."
Police say that at this point, the woman believed Mr Seneviratne was apologising for "making out" with her.
But a few days later, he allegedly admitted to digitally penetrating the woman.
"I didn't really get consent," Mr Seneviratne said in one message.
The woman replied that she could not remember the penetration and said: "My brain must have blocked it out".
Mr Seneviratne replied: "Yeah that's why I'm apologising. Prolly kinda traumatic. U trust someone and they take advantage of yr emotional state [sic]."
Police began investigating when the woman reported the matter in June.
Officers raided Mr Seneviratne's on-campus accommodation on Wednesday morning and found the Facebook Messenger conversations during a preliminary examination of his phone.
According to police, Mr Seneviratne "made full admissions to sexual activity between himself and [the woman], however stated it was all consensual".
Officers showed him the Facebook Messenger conversations, and he acknowledged that they were messages between himself and the woman.
However, he is said to have told police that some of his comments were a joke, and that when he wrote "I didn't really get consent", he had meant to say "I did really get consent".
When Mr Seneviratne appeared in court, prosecutor Bridget Atkinson did not oppose his release, so long as he was subject to strict conditions.
Magistrate Glenn Theakston granted bail, ordering Mr Seneviratne to surrender his passport to the court by 4pm on Thursday.
Mr Theakston also directed the 23-year-old to live at his ANU accommodation and to not contact, assault, harass, threaten or intimidate the alleged victim and two of her friends.
Mr Seneviratne has not entered a plea, and is due back in court next month.
