Timothy Whittaker: Ex Cricket Australia communications head’s bid to avoid jail for sex abuse

In a bid to avoid jail for sex abuse, a court has heard Cricket Australia’s stressful working environment and poor culture led to a former exec’s booze problem.

Former Cricket Australia executive Timothy Whittaker. Picture: David Crosling

Claims of Cricket Australia’s “disturbing workplace culture around alcohol” have been raised by a former executive in his bid to avoid jail for sexual abuse.

Ex-communications head Timothy Whittaker, 38, has pointed to stress in dealing with high profile scandals and tragedies in cricket, like the ball-tampering saga and on-field death of Phillip Hughes, as contributing to his problem with booze.

The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday heard “alcohol was a factor” in his sexual assault of two men in 2016 and 2019, both who had fallen asleep at his Abbotsford home after a night of drinking.

Whittaker raised the disturbing workplace booze culture in his bid to avoid jail. Picture: David Crosling

In arguing for Whittaker to avoid jail, defence barrister Dermott Dann KC spoke of his client’s problem with alcohol, which he said was fostered by a stressful working environment and poor culture at Cricket Australia.

“There was a fairly disturbing workplace culture around alcohol,” Mr Dann said.

“My client did develop a fairly significant relationship with alcohol.

“One of the (sexual assault) incidents occurred directly after a workplace function.”

The court also heard how a year before each crime, Whittaker had dealt with the stress of the 2015 inquest into the death of Hughes, who died from injuries sustained on the cricket pitch, and the 2018 Sandpaper-gate scandal.

But barrister Sharn Coombes, for the prosecution, said “those features of his life don’t explain the reason for the offending”.

“This is very serious offending, Your Honour.”

Mr Coombes called for Whittaker to be jailed, telling the court that a “clear message needs to be sent to the community” that such crimes wouldn’t be tolerated

But Mr Dann hit back over the suggestion jail was the only sentence available, stating it was “not an appropriate submission to make at all”.

Whittaker’s two victims gave statements to the court, with the man abused in 2016 stating that he suppressed the assault for years, believing it was “easier” to pretend it never happened.

But after learning of rumours of another assault in 2019, he said it gave him the courage to come forward despite it being “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do”.

“To finally hear the words guilty on both counts … was a massive relief,” he said.

Magistrate Tim Guttuso ordered Whittaker be assessed for a community corrections order.

Whittaker, who is now abstinent from booze, will be sentenced on June 9.