An accused rapist who allegedly lured women into his car by pretending to be a rideshare driver before sexually assaulting them has been freed on bail.
Francesco De Luise, 59, is accused of attacking three women between January last year and September this year.
Prosecutors argued against his release on bail, revealing he allegedly had a "modus operandi" of driving around licensed premises late at night or early in the morning and giving rides to women who mistakenly believed he was their Uber driver.
De Luise, who denies assaulting three women, faces one charge of rape, 10 counts of sexual assault and two of directing sexual activity at another person.
He was granted bail on Thursday by Victorian Supreme Court Justice John Champion, who found the risks he posed to the community could be ameliorated.
De Luise's mother offered a $1.4 million surety to secure his release. He will also be subject to a curfew and allowed to drive for work purposes in daylight hours only.
His arrest had placed a significant burden on De Luise's wife and family, Justice Champion found.
His family company had taken out a more than $2 million loan for five townhouses and relied on him to make loan repayments.
Justice Champion said De Luise would be able to work alongside his brother in their co-owned trucking company and earn income while on bail.
During his bail application on Monday, prosecutors said each of his three alleged victims had been drinking alcohol for several hours before getting into his car.
One woman took a photo of De Luise's hand on her leg, which she sent to her boyfriend "indicating that she was uncomfortable and this person was trying to feel her up", Senior Constable Catherine Poole told the court.
Another of his alleged victims provided police with audio and video of him allegedly asking if he could masturbate in his car.
The woman repeatedly said no and cried for help to her boyfriend, Sen Const Poole said.
De Luise's case returns to Melbourne Magistrates Court in March.
