The name Adam Charles Lusk was associated with one of the most outrageous crime cases in Australia, and when the Perth father was found guilty of raping and molesting several women and girls, he was sentenced to 28 years in jail. This in-depth analysis of the case indicates the shocking facts of how Lusk was able to abuse innocent victims he made the app dates with, and how the court of law delivered the verdict against him.
Who is Adam Charles Lusk?
Adam Charles Lusk is a 46-year-old ex-Australian soldier who later worked as a civil engineer and a real estate agent and carried out a series of brutal sexual offences in Perth from April 2020 to January 2022. The father of two was a former military man who started his career in civilian life as a civil engineer before starting his own real estate company. Nonetheless, this good appearance was just a mask of a predatory person who would turn into one of the most infamous serial rapists in Western Australia.
Military Background and Career Transition
Lusk has served in the Australian Army, and he has been sent to East Timor on several occasions during the conflict. His defence lawyer said that he was engaged in the interrogation of people who were involved in the massacre cases during his military service. Lusk later joined the real estate business after serving as a civil engineer in his military life, where he operated his own firm.
The Crimes That Shocked Perth
Scale and Nature of Offending
Adam Charles Lusk sexually assaulted 12 women and girls and drugged them systematically at his Ascot home in Perth between April 2020 and January 2022. The ages of his victims varied between 16 years to adult women, and three of his victims were teenagers at the time of the attacks. In the Perth District court, Lusk was heard to be raping his victims when they were incapable of consent or unconscious, and in most cases, he had spiked their drinks with drugs like ketamine, Xanax, or clonazepam.
How Lusk Found His Victims
Lusk would also go through different online sites to stalk and lure his victims, and these include:
- Dating apps such as Tinder
- Sugar Daddy Meet – a site that matches up good-looking women to successful men.
- Snapchat – especially when the older victims are the target.
The predator would make appointments with the women in his home to go out on dates with them or to party, where he would serve them strongly flavoured drinks before executing his attacks.
The Secret Video Evidence
The disturbing part of the crimes that Lusk committed was that he filmed his attacks. After being arrested in January 2022, police found in a folder named “secret” hundreds of recordings on his mobile phone. The videos proved to be key evidence against him as they depicted victims who were definitely unconscious and some begging Lusk to quit.
Adam Charles Lusk’s Court Trial and Legal Proceedings
The Five-Week Trial
When Lusk was tried in the Western Australia District Court, he had 100 charges. Those were 85 counts of sexual penetration without consent and 12 counts of stupefying that he did it so as to be able to commit an indictable offence. The trial lasted five weeks, during which the graphic video evidence of Lusk’s crimes was shown to the jury, compelling Judge Alan Troy to offer counselling to the jurors.
Lusk’s Defence Strategy
During his trial, Lusk defended himself, saying that all his sexual contacts were consensual. He claimed that his victims were either “lazy”, “role-playing” of being unconscious, or their minds were affected by recreational drugs that they had taken willingly. But the video evidence rather undermined all these arguments with video images of victims who were obviously disabled, and in certain instances begging him to stop.
The Verdict and Sentencing
On 26 September 2024, a Perth jury sentenced Adam Charles Lusk to 97 of the 100 charges he was facing. Three of the charges were dismissed, including indecently assaulting a 17-year-old girl one time. On January 31, 2025, the District Court Judge Alan Troy sentenced Lusk to 28 years in prison, terming his offences as “calculated and predatory” ones. The sentence has been held to be the second-longest jail sentence in Western Australia for such crimes.
The Impact on Victims and Community
Victim Impact Statements
At sentencing hearings, 4 of the victims of Lusk bravely read out victim impact statements on the crippling impact of his perpetration. The women said that they were “broken”, suffered nightmares, flashbacks, high anxiety, and in some instances even thought of committing suicide. According to one of the victims, she felt that she had been “damaged goods” and would “never be normal again”.
Community Response
The case caused a lot of publicity and indignation in Australia, where many people wondered how such crimes would go unnoticed for almost two years. The social media talk on sites such as Reddit raised community concerns about how the justice system addressed these severe offences.
Adam Charles Lusk’s Real Estate and Social Media Presence
Professional Background
Prior to his arrest, Lusk worked as a real estate agent in Perth, having shifted his career towards civil engineering. His career made him remain credible as he schemed his way to commit his crimes. According to the prosecutors at the time of his trial, the change from civil engineering to real estate was observed.
Limited Social Media Presence
Adam Charles Lusk had a rather low social media profile in comparison to most public figures. Although some people are listed in LinkedIn by the name of Adam Lusk, none of them can be considered to be definitely related to the convicted Perth criminal. His main internet activity was on the dating sites, where he focused on increasing his victims.
Current Status and Appeals
Prison Sentence and Eligibility
Lusk was ordered to serve at least 26 years in prison before he would be on parole, and at the earliest date, he would be 72 years old. He was sentenced to a date back to January 2022 when he was initially arrested.
Appeal Process
Adam Charles Lusk filed an appeal over his conviction and his sentence in May 2025. However, in the court, it was revealed that his attorney had abandoned him, and he might represent himself in the appeal case. According to the legal experts, he has a slim possibility of winning the case due to the overwhelming video evidence that will be brought to the trial.
Lessons and Prevention
The Adam Charles Lusk case illustrates some of the most important questions regarding the safety of the Internet and social media, especially in the case of young women who use dating apps. The systematic way he chose to target vulnerable people with the use of social media sites proves the significance of:
- Be cautious when gathering with strangers on dating applications.
- Getting to know each other through public meetings.
- Knowing about the dangers of drink spiking.
- Trusting instincts when things don’t feel safe.
Another issue highlighted in the case is the significance of a thorough police investigation and the use of digital evidence in winning a conviction in serious sexual crimes.
Conclusion
Adam Charles Lusk will always be known as one of the most startling criminal cases in Perth. His methodical assault on 12 females and girls over almost two years is a tremendous violation of trust and a vivid wake-up call to predatory behaviour, which can be as hidden as the most innocent appearances. The 28-year prison sentence by the Perth District Court corresponds to the extent of his crimes and serves as a warning to the rest who may be convinced to do the same offences.
To the Australian people, and especially the people of Perth, this case is an eye-opening experience about the need to be cautious when using the internet and the need to be more vigilant in making sure that more vulnerable members of our society are not subjected to the vultures who use the internet as a means of committing crimes.
