Jack de Belin’s sexual assault charges will be dropped after the Director of Public Prosecutions said it will not pursue a third trial against the St George Illawarra player.
De Belin’s legal team were told on Thursday he won’t stand trial again after two previous attempts to convict him on charges resulted in a hung jury. De Belin had stood trial alongside co-accused Callan Sinclair, who played for the Shellharbour Sharks. The DPP said it would also not proceed to a third trial against Sinclair.
Jack de Belin leaves court after he was found not guilty of one charge.Credit: Steven Siewert
“In circumstances where two juries were unable to agree upon a verdict, the Director of Public Prosecutions has determined not to proceed to a third trial against Jack De Belin and Callan Sinclair,” a spokeswoman for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said.
De Belin’s solicitor Robert Foster said that, “for all intents and purposes, this means the charges have been dropped and the matter is at an end. The presumption of innocence remains intact”, while de Belin’s lawyer, David Campbell, SC, said his client “wanted to get on with his life and career”.
“The best way to describe it is if the charges were never brought,” Mr Campbell said. “The presumption of innocence prevails and when the prosecution determines to discontinue proceedings, it’s as if they were never brought.
“He just wants to get the boots on and show everyone how he can play football.”
The charges are expected to be formally withdrawn when the matter is mentioned in court on Friday.
Earlier this month de Belin and Sinclair were found not guilty on one count of sexual intercourse without consent, but the jury of eight men and four women could not reach a unanimous or majority verdict – which requires 11 out of 12 jurors – on the other charges. They had deliberated for more than a week.
De Belin, 30, has been sidelined for 2½ years under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy, which he unsuccessfully challenged in the Federal Court in 2019.
The Dragons have already lodged paperwork with the NRL to register de Belin’s contract and were awaiting clearance on Thursday afternoon.
The club want the former NSW State of Origin representative to make his return in a NSW Cup fixture against Western Suburbs at Lidcombe Oval on Saturday.
He has not featured in a game since the 2018 finals series but was re-signed to a multimillion-dollar contract extension by the Dragons last year. The club has been paying him a reduced wage until court proceedings were finalised.
Coach Anthony Griffin asked de Belin to train with the NSW Cup squad this year until the end of his court case after he had previously helped prepare his NRL teammates during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
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