NRL star Junior Amone found guilty of rooftop hammer attack

A young NRL star attacked a tradie on a rooftop with a hammer, causing him to fall two storeys, is facing the prospect of being jailed, a court has been told.

St George Illawarra playmaker Junior Amone is facing the prospect of being jailed after he was found guilty of arming himself with a hammer and chasing a tradesman off a roof during a dispute in Wollongong last year.

Junior Amone and his father Talatau Amone on Wednesday were found guilty in Wollongong Local Court of a string of charges, including assault relating to an incident outside their family home in Warrawong last November.

Amone’s playing future is now under a cloud after the Dragons stood him down from all club activities indefinitely.

“The Dragons acknowledge the guilty verdict handed down to player Talatau Amone in Wollongong Court today in relation to an assault last November,” the club said in a statement.

“As a result of this outcome, Amone has been stood down from all club activities until further notice.”

Amone, 21, will now face sentencing proceedings later this year, with the court being told on Wednesday that magistrate Gabriel Fleming was considering sentencing him to a prison term.

NRL player Talatau Junior Amone and his father Talatau Dal Amone were on Wednesday found guilty. Picture: Supplied.

The NRL player’s legal team had described it as a case of mistaken identity after he was accused of jumping onto a roof at a worksite and threatening a tradesman with a hammer, causing him to fall two storeys.

Talatau Amone pleaded not guilty to damaging property, intimidation, entering a building or land with the intention to commit an indictable offence and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Junior Amone also pleaded not guilty to damaging property, intimidation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

On Wednesday, in Wollongong Local Court, Ms Fleming found them guilty of all charges.

The court was told that Jai King and Dean West were working on a house opposite the Amone home when they became embroiled in a verbal argument with a group of men over a Nissan Navara that was parked on a nature strip.

Junior Amone was on Wednesday found guilty of chasing a tradie off a roof as he wielded a hammer. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Steve Zemek

Talatau Amone (left) also pleaded not guilty. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Monique Harmer

The Nissan Navara after it was smashed. Picture: Supplied via NCA NewsWire

The court was told that Talatau Amone elbowed the rear-vision mirror and reached into the vehicle and snapped off the indicator.

The court was told Junior Amone jumped on top of the vehicle, while his father verbally abused and threatened the tradesmen.

Ms Fleming found that Junior Amone then climbed onto the roof as he wielded a hammer, the court was told.

Mr King jumped to a neighbouring roof to escape, falling and hitting an airconditioning unit on the way down. He suffered serious injuries, including a broken hand.

The court was told that Mr King described his attacker as tall, muscular and as having a thin moustache.

Ms Fleming said that description alone did not positively identify Junior Amone.

However, she said given other evidence tied him to the scene, she was satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Junior Amone was the man who chased Mr King from the rooftop.

Ms Fleming took into account that earlier that day Junior Amone was seen on CCTV at the airport wearing clothes similar to the description given by the victim and his fingerprints were found on the vehicle.

Junior Amone has been stood down by the Dragons following the verdict. Picture: Brendan Radke.

CCTV of Amone at Sydney International Airport on the day of the incident. Picture: Supplied via NCA NewsWire

CCTV from a home that was played during Amone’s hearing earlier this year. Picture: Supplied via NCA NewsWire

Junior Amone hung his head in court on Wednesday as he was found guilty and now faces an uncertain future.

He was initially stood down, under the NRL’s “no fault” policy, but later allowed to return to the field and play most of the season in first grade.

However his playing future now hangs in the balance after the club stood him down.

Neither Junior Amone nor his father spoke as they exited court on Wednesday, but their solicitor Elias Tabchouri flagged appealing the verdict.

“We respect any decision of any court and it doesn’t necessarily mean we agree with it,” Mr Tabchouri said.

“And we will take further steps pursuant to that decision. This matter is still ongoing. This matter is not over at all. We’ll keep moving forward.”

The court was told that both men were facing the prospect of a custodial sentence, to either be served in the community via a corrections order or full-time imprisonment.

Mr Tabchouri asked that sentencing proceedings be pushed back until later this year to obtain a series of reports.

The matter will return to court on December 6.