Dragons star Jack de Belin hit with fresh sexual assault charges
Dragons player Jack de Belin has been hit with two new charges of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent at Wollongong Local Court today. Friend Callan Sinclair, who was involved in the December incident, has also been slapped with a sexual assault charge.
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Dragons star Jack de Belin and Shellharbour Sharks’ Callan Sinclair have had fresh sexual assault charges laid against them after an incident involving a young woman at a Wollongong apartment last year.
De Belin and Sinclair were each charged with one count of aggravated sexual assault in company in December, after allegedly assaulting a 19-year-old woman at a Wollongong apartment in the early hours of December 9.
De Belin today faced Wollongong Local Court on two new charges of aggravated sexual assault in company while Sinclair was hit with one additional charge of aggravated sexual assault.
The additional charges were laid on each of the rugby league players earlier this month, and relate to acts de Belin and Sinclair allegedly undertook during the original incident last year.
Charge sheets said de Belin had intercourse with the victim “in company” knowing she was “not consenting”.
De Belin and Sinclair did not enter any pleas to the new charges.
Prosecutors allege NSW Origin star de Belin and friend Sinclair assaulted the teenage girl at de Belin’s cousin’s apartment on Gipps Street, following a pub crawl in December.
De Belin previously pleaded not guilty to the original charges of aggravated sexual assault in company, while Sinclair has indicated he will also fight the allegations.
De Belin’s defence lawyer Robert Foster has subpoenaed documents from the victim’s phone provider, Wollongong Hospital and NSW Police to assist in the case.
In his request to Wollongong Hospital, Mr Foster asked for the victim’s hospital records from December 5 to 31, 2018, including doctors’ reports, social workers’ reports, medical and forensic records and other documents relating to her treatment.
During the court appearance on Wednesday, May 29, Mr Foster said the hospital had provided “some” of the details requested in the past week.
Magistrate Michael Stoddart told both Sinclair and de Belin they would be entitled to a “discount” on their sentence if they decided to plead guilty to the sexual assault charges.
“If any pleas are made it’s important to note there will be a discount in relation to the sentence,” he said.
The pair’s charges were certified on May 13 and both cases were adjourned to July 24.
Their bail conditions continue and remain unchanged.
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