Judge questions Jack de Belin ‘leak’ after sex assault charges dropped

A judge has expressed her displeasure after The Daily Telegraph broke news sex assault charges against Jack de Belin had been dropped.

Jack de Belin’s lawyer says the footballer is “relieved” and looking forward to playing after his sex assault charges were formally dropped in the NSW District Court.

De Belin’s lawyer Robert Foster made a short statement to the press pack outside the court on Friday morning.

“No one had any idea just how long the road would be. The indictment has now been marked as spent and these proceedings are at an end,” Mr Foster said.

Jack de Belin leaves the Downing Centre in Sydney at an earlier appearance. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Jack de Belin's lawyer Robert Foster at the Downing Centre on Friday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The Dragons forward and Callan Sinclair were excused from appearing in court for their aggravated sexual assault charges to be dropped.

The Daily Telegraph exclusively broke the story on Thursday afternoon that prosecutors had decided to not take the pair to trial for a third time.

“Jack de Belin is very relieved and looking forward to getting back and playing football.”

The Dragons forward was excused from appearing.

Judge Dina Yehia told the court she was “not pleased” the story was leaked to the media before the charges were formally dropped.

“I want to know how it is that the decision … seems to have come to the attention of the press, but not the court first,” Judge Yehia said.

“I am not pleased as to how this was leaked to the press. It is a discourtesy to this court to have it leaked to the press before proceedings have taken place in this court.”

Judge Yehia told the court she did not have time to investigate how the leak happened.

Crown Prosecutor Craig Everson told the court Director of Public Prosecutions Lloyd Babb SC did not leak the information.

Charges against Callan Sinclair were also dropped. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“It was not something communicated by the Director. Communication was made to lawyers of the accused then The Daily Telegraph was on to the story within 20 minutes,” Mr Everson said.

The Dragons forward, 30, and his mate Callan Sinclair, 24, were charged with sexually assaulting a teenager during a Wollongong pub crawl in December, 2018.

The pair maintain the 19-year-old woman consented to vaginal, oral and anal sex, pleading not guilty to five counts of aggravated sexual assault.

Two previous trials in the NSW District Court were deadlocked, with jurors unable to reach a unanimous decision.

One count of sexual assault was dismissed at the most recent trial in April, but the jury of 12 were unable to reach a decision about the remaining four counts.