Wallabies Star Beale Cleared of Sexual Assault Charges, but Faces Hefty Legal Bill
Beale Cleared of Sexual Assault Allegations
In a ruling that sent shockwaves through the rugby union community, Wallabies star Kurtley Beale has been cleared of sexual assault allegations. The 35-year-old player stood trial in the New South Wales District Court earlier this year after pleading not guilty to charges of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching.
“the truth has come out” and said his family had endured a “terrible year” due to the ordeal.
After a two-week trial, the jury took less than an hour to determine that Beale had not groped a woman’s bottom at a Sydney bar in December 2022 nor forced her to engage in oral sex in the men’s bathroom. Beale, who had consistently denied the allegations, expressed relief that “the truth has come out” and said his family had endured a “terrible year” due to the ordeal.
Hefty Legal Bill Remains
However, the good news was short-lived for the rugby star. On Friday, Judge Graham Turnbull ruled that Beale’s legal bills, rumored to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, would not be covered by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The judge determined that the Crown prosecutor’s decision to pursue the case was reasonable, as there were “questions of substance to be determined” and it was not simply a matter of “word on word.”
Beale’s lawyer, Margaret Cunneen SC, had argued that the Crown’s case was “extremely weak” and should never have been brought to trial, citing CCTV footage that contradicted the woman’s account. However, the Crown prosecutor, Philip Hogan, maintained that Beale’s own statements in recorded phone calls provided a “reasonable case to prosecute.”
Setback and Determination
The news of the hefty legal bill has compounded Beale’s woes, as he was recently recalled to the Wallabies squad but now faces a setback due to a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in a club rugby match. Nonetheless, the 35-year-old remains determined to make his comeback, buoyed by the vindication of being cleared of the sexual assault charges.
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