Ex-NRL star loses appeal against assault conviction

Former NRL star Curtis Scott has failed in his bid to have assault and intimidation charges overturned on appeal.

Former NRL star Curtis Scott has lost an attempt to have his conviction for assaulting and threatening his ex-partner overturned on appeal with a judge finding his relationship with her was marked by “emotional abuse”.

The former Melbourne Storm and Canberra Raiders outside back shook his head inside Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Friday as Judge Alister Abadee dismissed Scott’s appeal against his conviction for several charges relating to attacks on his former partner Tay-Leiha Clark.

Scott, 25, this week appeared before a two-day hearing in an effort to have his convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and stalk/intimidate with the intention of causing fear or physical harm quashed on appeal.

However, Judge Abadee dismissed his appeal against his three convictions.

During a lengthy judgment handed down on Friday morning, Judge Abadee said Scott’s relationship with Ms Clark “was not just tumultuous, it was punctuated by emotional abuse born out jealousy.”

Curtis Scott on Friday lost his appeal against his conviction. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Scott’s case was that he never assaulted or threatened to harm his former partner and outside court on Friday he maintained his innocence.

Over the course of the appeal hearing, Scott’s barrister Slade Howell argued that Ms Clark’s allegations were not supported by other evidence.

Magistrate Daniel Covington last year found Scott pushed Ms Clark during an altercation at her parents’ home in the Sydney suburb of Sylvania, causing injuries to her head, forearm and wrist.

The court heard members of Ms Clark’s family gave evidence during a Local Court hearing last year, telling the court they heard a verbal argument and saw a mark on her arm.

The magistrate also found that during a holiday at Lake Conjola on the NSW south coast, Scott charged into Ms Clark, knocking her to the ground.

The court heard that the incident was witnessed by her sister.

His defence had argued that she could not have witnessed the incident in a dimly-lit driveway because of a lack of street lighting.

Scott lawyers also argued she did not exhibit any injuries in an Instagram photo about a week later.

However, Judge Abadee dismissed his appeal against that charge as well.

Scott’s former partner Tay-Leiha Clarke. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Scott was also found guilty of verbally threatening Ms Clark during a phone conversation in which he threatened to kill both her and himself and drove his car into a tree.

The court heard that Scott was in Melbourne at the time when he rang threatening to kill himself and demanding she fly from Sydney.

The court heard that during the course of the conversation he said “I’m going to f***ing kill you c***” and called her a “slut” and a “whore”.

Scott had argued that he had only threatened to kill himself, however Judge Abadee noted that the conversation was overhead by Ms Clark’s mother and father who gave similar evidence.

Scott shook his head and slumped in his chair as Judge Abadee found that Ms Clark was a “witness of credit” and dismissed his appeal.

“I’m not going to let these people break me, I’m not going to let the media break me,” Scott said outside court.

“I’m going to keep my head held up high. I know the truth, I’m going to continue working and I’ve got goals.”