NRL player Jack de Belin has launched a $1 million civil lawsuit against the state of New South Wales, alleging police misconduct during his rape trials prolonged proceedings and caused significant damage to his career.
The 35-year-old claims a senior police officer’s actions exposed him to an ‘extended criminal prosecution’ and the possibility he could have been ‘wrongfully convicted for sexual assault’, according to court documents.
The officer, known as ‘Officer A’ for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to perjury after admitting he lied under oath during a pre-trial hearing in 2020.
The perjury related to access of text messages between de Belin and his lawyer, Craig Osborne, which were obtained during the investigation into allegations involving de Belin and co-accused Callan Sinclair.
The officer falsely told the court the messages related to ‘Dragons business’, despite the court later hearing that 190 of 203 messages accessed were subject to legal professional privilege.
De Belin was arrested in December 2018 and charged over allegations he and Sinclair sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman in a North Wollongong unit. Both men denied the allegations and maintained the encounter was consensual.
Jack de Belin launches $1million lawsuit alleging police perjury extended his rape trials and damaged his rugby league career
De Belin claims misconduct exposed him to prolonged prosecution and risk of wrongful conviction during two trials
The case proceeded to two trials. A Wollongong jury in November 2020 was discharged after indicating it could ‘absolutely not’ reach a verdict on any charges. A second jury in Sydney in 2021 also failed to reach agreement on most counts after more than a week of deliberations.
Both men were acquitted of one charge each, and prosecutors later dropped the remaining charges.
During the period the case was before the courts, de Belin was stood down under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy and spent more than 1000 days sidelined from playing.
Court documents filed in the Sydney District Court state de Belin incurred legal costs exceeding $1million and claims the prolonged proceedings affected his earning capacity, including future contracts and endorsement opportunities.
‘The case against my client was dragged out because of illegal activity by the police for which the [senior officer] has now been sentenced,’ his lawyer Paul McGirr said.
‘The [senior officer] got caught with his hand in the till,’ he said.
‘Mr de Belin has suffered severe financial and mental anguish because of the actions of this police officer.’
The officer was sentenced to a 12-month intensive corrections order, allowing him to serve his punishment in the community.
Both trials ended in hung juries before prosecutors dropped remaining charges against de Belin and Callan Sinclair
De Belin’s lawyer claims illegal police actions dragged case out and caused severe financial and mental harm
Judge Christine Mendes found the perjury occurred during a pre-trial application to stay proceedings and determined its impact on the case was ‘limited and confined’.
‘The objective harm done was minimal,’ she said.
However, the court accepted that the accused men experienced distress as a result of the conduct.
The judge also found the officer was suffering from acute post-traumatic stress disorder at the time and was not operating with ‘a healthy cognitive reserve’.
‘He is a highly fragile, broken man,’ she said.
The officer, a senior detective in charge of the case, was later medically retired from NSW Police in 2023.
Speaking outside court after the sentencing, de Belin said the penalty imposed on the officer was insufficient.
‘It was obviously a little bit light, but it is what it is,’ he said.
‘What’s kept Cal and myself so strong throughout this is our innocence.’
Callan Sinclair’s father, Terry Sinclair, also criticised the outcome, describing the sentence as a ‘slap on the wrist’ and questioning the conduct of the investigation.
‘The fact the senior police officer in charge of the investigation was sentenced today for perjury I think speaks volumes,’ he said.
De Belin, who is now playing for the Parramatta Eels after previously representing St George Illawarra, has not yet filed a full statement of claim. His matter is expected to return to court next month.
