Federal Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon’s son Jack pleads not guilty to sexually touching a woman at Exchange Hotel at Hamilton

Jack Fitzgibbon, 31, is alleged to have exposed himself on a pub’s dance floor and rubbed himself on a woman he had never met before, court hears.

The son of retiring Federal MP Joel Fitzgibbon has denied he exposed himself on the dance floor of a popular Newcastle hotel and rubbed himself on a woman he had never met before.

Jack Fitzgibbon, 31, was not required to attend Newcastle Local Court on Thursday where not guilty pleas were formally entered on one count each of sexually touching a person without their consent and behaving in an offensive manner.

Police allege Fitzgibbon was with another man when they walked onto the dance floor of the popular Exchange Hotel in the early hours of November 7 last year and approached a group of four women they did not know.

Federal MP Joel Fitzgibbon with son Jack. Picture: Facebook.

Court documents allege Fitzgibbon then approached one of the women and “did expose and rub his penis against the victim without her consent”.

Security was called and Fitzgibbon was allegedly asked to leave the Beaumont Street pub.

An investigation was launched and police later handed him a court attendance notice for the two charges including the sexual touching count which carries a maximum sentence of five years’ jail.

Fitzgibbon was not required to attend court on Thursday when the charges were briefly mentioned in front of a registrar.

The court heard that an email from Fitzgibbon’s defence team asked the court to enter not guilty pleas to both counts.

The brief of evidence is due on April 14 and the matter was adjourned to Newcastle Local Court on May 5.

Jack Fitzgibbon is the son of Labor’s Member for Hunter and former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, who announced in September that he would retire from politics at the next election after more than 25 years in parliament.