A Del Mar resident accused of raping two women had a how-to dating guide intended for men “fed up (with) being a nice guy,” a prosecutor alleged Wednesday before a judge, but a defense attorney said his client did not commit the rapes.
Sean Patrick Banks, 38, is accused of raping a La Mesa woman in her apartment after they met on ChristianMingle.com in 2012. The defendant is also accused of raping a woman he met on another dating site, Match.com, in 2009.
Banks faces 44 years to life in prison if convicted of forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person, sex with a foreign object, burglary and trying to dissuade a witness. He also allegedly attempted to convince investigators that his victims were disturbed and unreliable.
Police going through one of Banks’ computers found a downloaded book that detailed dating and seduction techniques, said Deputy District Attorney David Williams III in his opening statement.
Williams said that the La Mesa woman, identified as “K.K,” met Banks on the Christian site and assumed him to be a good and moral man.
The woman and Banks, who called himself “Rylan,” talked about Jesus and the Bible. She decided to meet him face-to-face the night of Nov. 21, 2012.
“He said the right things to her,” the prosecutor told the jury, noting that Banks called K.K. “sweetie” and cutie” online.
Banks arrived at the woman’s apartment with “his own bar” and made K.K. a mixed drink, which she took one sip from, Williams said.
The two started kissing on her couch, according to the prosecutor, but the woman resisted when he started to fondle her, then grabbed her by the arm and led her to the bedroom.
She didn’t scream or fight because she only knew his first name and thought he would kill her. The prosecutor said Banks then got on top of the victim and assaulted her.
“K.K. couldn’t believe that she had just been raped,” Williams told the jury.
After the sexual encounter, Banks left, then called K.K. and made it seem like he was never there, the prosecutor said.
“There’s something wrong with you. It’s weird,” K.K. allegedly told the defendant.
When contacted at his home, Banks told police the sex was consensual and that K.K. was “disturbed,” according to Williams.
A second woman, identified as “R.O.,” said she met Banks on Match.com in May 2009 and eventually had dinner and drinks with him in La Jolla.
The next thing she remembers, she was bent over her own couch and Banks was having sex with her, Williams said.
“R.O. knows she didn’t consent,” the prosecutor told the jury.
Williams said R.O. didn’t call police, but came forward nearly four years later when La Mesa police put out a press release asking for information from any women who thought she may have been victimized by Banks.
Defense attorney Brian J. White said his client was innocent.
“This case is about consent,” White told the jury, explaining that when the alleged victims told him to stop, he did. “It’s about consent given and consent withdrawn.”
White explained the alias Rylan by saying Banks, seeking a fresh start, adopted the name after filing for bankruptcy.
– City News Service
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