SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - For the first time since his arrest, the La Jolla restaurant owner charged with rape is speaking publicly. Daniel Dorado is testifying in his defense.
Eight women have come forward saying Dorado drugged and sexually assaulted them over the course of a decade.
The owner of the Voce del Mar restaurant in Birdrock faces 35 felony charges for allegedly raping women after drugging their drinks.
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He took the stand during trial Wednesday denying the drug allegations while saying each of the eight relationships were consensual.
"She was interested in being alone with me," said Dorado. "She initiated the physical contact."
Prosecutors say in at least two of the cases, a sexual relationship occurred after the women got visibly sick and threw up.
RELATED: Trial begins for La Jolla restaurant owner accused of sexual assaults
"I offered to have her husband pick her up at L'Auberge, she asked to sleep it off at my house," said Dorado.
Police say Dorado met the victims on online dating sites and some of them under the guise of a job interview at a restaurant. He is scheduled to continue his testimony in court Thursday.
