Jack de Belin: NRL star’s sexual assault case continues
The sexual assault case against St George Illawarra Dragons star Jack de Belin has been pushed back to July as complex pre-trial arguments continue.
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A decision in the pre-trial legal argument surrounding Dragons star Jack de Belin’s sexual assault case is still weeks away, with the proceedings again adjourning on Friday afternoon.
The 29-year-old and his co-accused Callan Sinclair returned to court on Monday, after a key witness fell ill in February, delaying complex legal arguments and the start of the estimated two-week trial.
On Monday, Judge Andrew Haesler indicated he wanted the pre-trial arguments to wrap up by the end of the week so a trial date could be fixed, however, arguments were still ongoing by Friday afternoon, forcing the court to adjourn the matter until July 31.
Setting out a timeline, Judge Haesler told the court that once the arguments were finished, he would not be able to deliver a decision until some weeks after, meaning the dispute may not be resolved until at least mid-August - more than halfway through the NRL season.
De Belin and Sinclair have each pleaded not guilty to five charges of aggravated sexual assault, after they were accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at Wollongong apartment in December 2018 following a popular pub crawl.
De Belin was first charged in 2018, and became the first player to be sidelined under the NRL’s no-fault stand down policy, which allows the game to stand aside players facing serious criminal charges.
Under the policy, De Belin has been banned from playing any games until the matter has been through the courts. If the trial did not proceed until an expected date in November, de Belin will have been sidelined for two consecutive seasons, with his Dragons contract due to expire at the end of this year.
While the Origin star hasn’t been able to play for more than a year, he has still been able to train with the team and has been receiving his full $500,000+ yearly pay cheque.