Two NSW Police officers will face court charged with assaulting NRL star Tom Starling in a violent brawl at a Central Coast bar.
Starling himself was originally charged over the incident at the Shady Palms restaurant in Kincumber on December 5, 2020. Police alleged at the time that Starling reached for one of the officers’ guns during the confrontation.
CCTV played in court cleared Starling of wrongdoing. Credit: Nine News
Starling was eventually cleared of all charges after CCTV was played to a court showing the brawl, which also involved Starling’s brothers, Jackson and Josh, as well as three police officers.
Starling was left bloodied after the brawl.
On Tuesday, two police officers were issued with court attendance notices for common assault, with police alleging the pair were at fault.
A 49-year-old male officer was charged with common assault and a 37-year-old male officer was charged with two counts of common assault.
Tom Starling was left bloodied and bruised after the incident.
Their employment status is under review and they will face court in March.
Starling told Ben Fordham Live on 2GB he was experiencing “mixed emotions” and wished the charges had come sooner.
“I’d hate to see someone else go through what me and my family were put through. The emotional and financial pressure it puts on people, that’s why I’m speaking out so loudly about it,” he said.
“It’s quite an intimidating thing to come up against the police force with endless amounts of money and endless amounts of support for them.”
Tom Starling playing for Canberra in 2021.Credit: NRL Photos
He said the charges were a “step in the right direction” but also criticised them as being on the “low end”.
Starling’s mother Joanne previously told Fordham her world was turned upside down by the allegations against her son. She said she feared the incident would destroy his career.
“It definitely has taken its toll on us … I was there and I witnessed the majority of it and to see that on the front page of the news was just devastating,” she said. “The NRL were very close to standing him down.”
Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart stuck by Starling during the investigation and said publicly that he believed his player’s version of events.
Starling’s lawyer, Paul McGirr – who also acts for the footballer’s brothers Jackson and Josh – said the family could seek up to $1 million in their civil case against NSW Police.
“It’s significant, and it’s not outside the realms for it to be hundreds of thousands of dollars per plaintiff. The family could be looking at a sum up to $1 million,” McGirr said.
“The delay and lack of information have only added to the burden of the pain and suffering that they’ve had hanging over their heads.”
The Raiders have a strained relationship with the police after a series of incidents with current and former players.
Also in 2020, Curtis Scott was asleep in Moore Park when he was approached by officers and eventually handcuffed, pepper sprayed and shot with a Taser during the arrest.
He was charged with multiple offences, but all were withdrawn or dismissed after the court was shown bodycam footage of the incident.
Scott appeared drunk and disoriented in the video. Magistrate Jennifer Giles labelled the arrest as “unlawful”.
Scott was also cleared of assaulting a patron in a Canberra nightclub in 2021.
Another former Canberra player, South Sydney recruit Jack Wighton, is considering civil action after fighting charges against him and Rabbitohs teammate Latrell Mitchell, which were withdrawn.
“It’s very disappointing,” Raiders CEO David Furner said of the latest Starling developments. “We always drill into the players to respect and co-operate with the police and always have in the past.
“We’ve had this and some other incidents recently; that is why this is so disappointing.”
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