NRL players Zane Musgrove, Liam Coleman guilty of indecently assaulting woman at Coogee pub
Former Rabbitohs prop Zane Musgrove and former Penrith reserve grade player Liam Coleman have been found guilty of indecently assaulting a young woman on a boozy night out.
Southern Courier
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Two former NRL prospects have been found guilty of groping a young woman’s breasts on a night out in Sydney’s eastern suburbs last year.
Former Rabbitohs prop Zane Musgrove and Penrith reserve grade player Liam Coleman were found guilty of indecent assault.
The pair were found not guilty of indecent assault in company, while a charge of common assault was withdrawn.
Both have been convicted and given a 12 month good behaviour bond.
The verdict is thought to have all but ended the two players’ NRL careers.
Musgrove kissed the 23-year-old woman and touched her breast after an encounter at the Coogee Bay Hotel last November while Coleman, son of Rabbitohs great Craig Coleman, grabbed the woman’s breasts on the same night.
Outside of court, Coleman, his father and his barrister said they had already appealed the conviction.
On sentencing, the court heard the convictions could ultimately be the end of the NRL careers of both players.
Musgrove’s barrister Phillip English had argued and asked for the 23-year-old not to be convicted after suffering extra punishment through not being allowed to play football.
“He’s effectively spent the last 12 months on the sidelines,” he said.
He had signed to play for Wests Tigers at the time of the incident but was denied NRL registration.
Wests are understood to have been following today’s proceedings, though any attempt for Musgrove to be registered by the NRL could take years and would be subject to scrutniy by the integrity unit.
Coleman had all but resigned himself to a life outside of football since the charges, the court heard.
Giving evidence at the Downing Centre Local Court hearing this morning, Musgrove said he and the woman had “good banter” at a previous meeting before the night in question and believed she was a footy fan.
She had previously given evidence that Musgrove had “shoved his tongue down her throat”.
Musgrove went on to tell the court that after bumping into each other on a second occasion he and the woman had kissed “three or four times” and danced on the dance floor together.
“When I kissed her I felt like she was kissing me back, she never said no or told me to stop kissing her, she didn’t say anything along those lines,” Musgrave said.
“We really connected well. I thought she liked me and I’d seen her again so we just carried on from the first time I saw her.”
After that incident, Coleman groped the woman’s breasts after being introduced by Musgrove.
Coleman was supported in court by his father, boxing trainer Johnny Lewis and NRL hall of famer Bob McCarthy.
“With the lady having to come to the court and the stress on her … within minutes she was crying and upset it even effects her today,” Magistrate Paul Lyon said.
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