NRL star Jack de Belin in court to defend rape charges
A judge has been allocated to Jack de Belin’s sexual assault trial, as the court prepares to empanel a jury Tuesday morning.
Police & Courts
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A judge has been allocated to Jack de Belin’s sexual assault trial, as the court prepares to empanel a jury on Tuesday morning.
The St George Illawarra star forward and his friend Callan Sinclair have pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman after a Wollongong pub crawl in 2018.
Both men maintain their sexual encounter with the woman was consensual.
De Belin, 30, and Sinclair, 24, were supported in court on Monday by a huge cohort of family members.
Judge Nicole Noman SC was allocated to preside over the estimated three-week jury trial.
Crown Prosecutor David Scully is due to deliver his opening statements tomorrow, followed by the defence if time permits. David Campbell SC will be representing de Belin and Barrister Sharyn Hall is representing co-accused Sinclair.
The court heard the complainant’s pre recorded evidence would take three days to hear.
She will also be cross examined during the trial, the court heard on Monday.
The pre-trial arguments concerned the tender of documents and the issuing of further subpoenas.
District Court Judge Dee Yehia told a separate court earlier that day she was impatient with the delays.“I do want these trials to commence. I would have thought the complainant and accused are keen to have these trials finalised,” Ms Yehia said
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