Max Cleary: Northern beaches, Manly man allegedly raped woman
Police allege a privileged northern beaches party boy sexually assaulted a woman he met on social media. He has been granted bail after a court was told he came “from a good family” with his father being the Director at Sydney Catholic Schools.
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The party boy son of a former Sea Eagles CEO has been charged with a sex offence after police allege he met a young woman online and raped her at a friend’s place.
Northern beaches man Max Cleary, 22, was described as a “threat to other young women” by a Newtown Local Court magistrate on Thursday but was released from police custody after prosecutors declined to keep him locked up.
The court was told by his lawyer Robert Candelori the Manly landscaper “comes from a good family”, namely his father Tim Cleary who is the director at Sydney Catholic Schools, and had “strong community ties” in successfully getting Cleary released.
Tim Cleary is also the former CEO of the Manly Sea Eagles and was the principal of a number of prestigious Sydney catholic schools.
Max Cleary is charged with having sex with a young woman without her consent in Camperdown on August 15, according to court documents.
Police will allege Cleary met the young woman on social media before they began chatting and agreed to meet up.
After going for a few drinks, police allege, they continued to drink more at a friend’s place in Camperdown where the woman says she was then raped.
Police did not fight to keep him locked up due to his lack of a criminal record, the court was told.
Cleary has been ordered not to associate with the friend, who is understood to be a witness to the incident.
Magistrate Glenn Bartley said Cleary “was a serious risk” despite the charges not being proven and ordered he only have one phone.
The mobile phone condition was made as a result of the police allegation against Cleary mentioning his use of a phone in the fact sheet.
“Protecting other women is a greater concern because the fear is he’ll move and get other women into advantageous situations and sexually assault them,” Magistrate Glenn Bartley said.
“On the available evidence he’s a threat to other young women.”
Cleary’s social media profile paints the picture of a young man with a wide group of friends.
In some instances he is snapped in glamorous locations oversees and watching the sunset from Manly Beach.
The court heard Cleary works up to seven days a week and has a second job at a disability care home.
As part of strict bail conditions Cleary is on a curfew at his family’s Manly home and has to report to police every day.
He has also been banned from consuming alcohol or entering the inner west suburb of Camperdown.
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