Tim Paine embroiled in court drama

Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine is caught up in a court action lodged by the woman who received a lewd picture and texts from him.

Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine is embroiled in a court action lodged by the woman who received a lewd picture and texts from him.

Renee Ferguson, 47, lodged a 17-page document in the Federal Court on Friday about alleged sexual harassment while she was working at Cricket Tasmania.

A Federal Court listing confirmed that an originating application under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act was filed at 2.42pm on Friday.

It listed Renee Ferguson, represented by Wisewould Mahony, as the applicant and

Cricket Tasmania as the respondent.

The former Cricket Tasmania receptionist has taken the action after the Herald Sun last week revealed Paine’s sexting scandal.

Paine quit as captain within an hour of the Herald Sun’s report about how he sent the woman an image of his penis on the morning of the Ashes Test at the Gabba in 2017.

It can now be revealed Ms Ferguson made verbal complaints about Paine, and his brother-in-law Shannon Tubb who also sent her lewd messages, before she resigned from Cricket Tasmania in 2017.

Tim Paine during an Ashes Test in England. Picture: Getty

Shannon Tubb.

Mr Tubb, who also worked at Cricket Tasmania, resigned in 2018 after an investigation about the text messages he sent the woman.

Cricket Australia investigated Paine when a written complaint was made in 2018.

At that time he was a contracted Cricket Australia player, and had been appointed Test captain to Steve Smith after the Sandpapergate cheating scandal.

Cricket Australia cleared him of “any breach of the code of conduct” but last week Chairman Richard Freudenstein said he would not have appointed Paine as captain had he been in charge at the time.

The Herald Sun revealed Paine told the woman in messages: “I’m about to give something firm a pull, myself I think (wink emoji) Well I was going to anyway ha”.

And he also asked her in a message: “Will you want to taste my ***? F —k me, I’m seriously hard.”

He made the comments before he sent an image of his penis to the woman, who it is understood did not send a nude image in return and said it was “unsolicited”.

Mr Tubb allegedly sent the woman messages which said: “I want to put my c*** in between your ­t***.”

He also allegedly wrote: “You made me hard today, I know you noticed.”

Paine and wife, Bonnie. Picture: Instagram

Tubb’s positions as a coach at the prestigious Prince Alfred College in Adelaide and the South Australian Cricket Association were under review this week.

Cricket Tasmania released a statement last week, which some commentators described as victim blaming, following Paine’s resignation as Test captain, highlighting criminal charges against the woman for stealing.

The messages and her sexual harassment complaints to Cricket Tasmania were made before she resigned from the body following an investigation into claims she fraudulently obtained a $705 Cricket Tasmania junior and platinum membership, a $339 Hobart Hurricanes family membership, and stole $1942 in cash.

Paine’s manager said on Friday morning, before the legal complaint was lodged, that he was worried about the wicketkeeper’s mental health and his wife Bonnie.

The keeper has stepped away from the game completely after previously saying he wanted to play in the Ashes despite the scandal.

“Confirming that Tim Paine is stepping away from cricket for an indefinite mental health break,” his manager James Henderson said.

“We are extremely concerned for his and Bonnie’s wellbeing and will be making no further comment at this time.”

Ms Paine told the Sunday Herald Sun last week: “It broke my heart to be honest.

“My trust was a bit shattered from it and learning to try and trust again was a process.”

Originally published as Tim Paine embroiled in court drama