The manager of a Croatian nightclub where a Norwegian backpacker was sexually assaulted by three Australian tourists in a toilet says he believes the men were forced into a confession - and suggested the 17-year-old victim made it up 'for the money'.

Dylan Djohan, 23, Ashwin Kumar, 23, and Waleed Latif, 21, pleaded guilty to raping the teenager on July 16 last year at the nightclub in Split, Croatia, and paid the victim $31,594 to avoid a trial as part of a deal with prosecutors.

The trio, who returned to Melbourne last week, had their passports confiscated when they were arrested and spent almost seven months living in a one-bedroom rented apartment in Split after the victim reported the incident to police that same night.

Dylan Djohan, 23, Ashwin Kumar, 23, and Waleed Latif, 21, pleaded guilty to raping the girl on July 16 at the Tropic nightclub in Split, Croatia, and paid the victim $31,594 to avoid a trial as part of a deal with prosecutors

But the owner of the Tropic nightclub, Boris Nikolic, told Daily Mail Australia he believed it was 'impossible' for anyone to be raped in the men's toilet and for no one to notice the crime had taken place.

'(The toilet) is next to the door, it's next to the warehouse and it is next to our office. There is no music there, or in the hallway,' Mr Nikolic said.

'I believe it is impossible to do something in that part of the club and nobody to hear. It is very strange. Me personally, I think it never happened. Maybe the girl was trying to get money.

'I think they were forced to (confess). But we do not know it.'

Mr Nikolic, who was not working at the time, says the first staff at Tropic nightclub knew of the attack was when police turned up at 6am, just after it had shut its doors.

'To be honest, we were shocked,' Mr Nikolic said. 'No one asked for help, no one had noticed anything.'

Ashwin Kumar, 23, Waleed Latif, 21, and Dylan Djohan, 23, (L-R) have returned to Melbourne after pleading guilty to raping a Norwegian backpacker, 17, in July at a bar in Split, Croatia

Waleed Latif, 21, Ashwin Kumar, 23, and Dylan Djohan, 23, pictured in Croatia last year before they were arrested for raping a 17-year-old Norwegian backpacker in a bar in Split in July

The venue, which sits above a seedy looking 'gentleman's club' overlooking the beach, opens from 10pm until 5am each evening during the summer, and can be packed with 300 revellers, most of them foreigners.

But before 1am - when the organised pub crawls finish in the city centre, and the so-called guides start driving people towards clubs like Tropic - there can be as few as 20 people in the venue.

Staff maintain this was the case when the attack took place. It differs from police who say the attack occurred at 1.30am.

'In the club at that time someone would have heard it. There were lots of waiters, lots of hostesses. When a bottle breaks, someone knows,' Mr Nikolic said.

'So how can someone not hear such a thing as rape?'

Mr Nikolic said the club was never contacted again after that night and Daily Mail Australia was the one so far to speak to him about the incident.

'No one investigated like this,' he said.

The owner of the Tropic nightclub, Boris Nikolic, told Daily Mail Australia he believed it was 'impossible' for anyone to be raped in the men's toilet and for no one to notice the crime had taken place

Mr Nikolic, who was not working at the time, says the first staff at Tropic nightclub knew of the attack was when police turned up at 6am, just after it had shut its doors

The venue, which sits above a seedy looking 'gentleman's club' overlooking the beach, opens from 10pm until 5am each evening during the summer, and can be packed with 300 revellers, most of them foreigners

'When you see the whole situation, no one came for help, no one heard a noise. The first we knew was she came back in the morning with police. At that time, the music was not loud. There is no point to pump the music up when there is an empty club.'

Mr Nikolic says they have only ever had 'small problems' in his 15 years helping to run clubs in the area - and those were related to people drinking too much.

In exchange for freedom and to avoid a trial, Djohan, Kumar and Latif agreed with Croatian prosecutors to pay the victim $31,594 and pleaded guilty over the rape.

They were then handed a one-year prison sentence, which was reduced to a five-year good behaviour bond.

The men, who were on bail and free to roam Croatia, may have faced 15 years in jail had a deal not been finalised between their lawyers and Croatian prosecutors.

Croatian newspaper, 24Sata, have covered the case with an article about how the case has prompted widespread backlash against the men after their identities were revealed

Djohan, who had thousands of Instagram followers before he deleted his account on Monday, regularly boasted of his body building on social media and documented his regime while he was holidaying in Europe last July

The good behaviour bond is enforceable in Europe but not Australia.

A Croatian court heard that the men had been drinking at the beach-side nightspot with the girl when one led the 17-year-old to the men's bathroom before the other two joined them and started assaulting her.

The girl was able to fight them off at the last moment but not before the three left forensic evidence to tie them to the assault.

Three semen samples were found on her clothing, with two of the accused men claiming they had consensual sex with the woman and the other denying any interaction her.

Security or staff from the club did not report the incident on the night.

The case has prompted widespread backlash against the men after their identities were revealed, with many outraged Djohan, Kumar and Latif avoided jail by paying the victim.