Former detective a ‘flight risk’ after alleged perjury in NRL star Jack De Belin’s sex assault trial
An ex-NSW police officer has been accused of lying to a court about the contents of text messages during the sexual assault trial of NRL star Jack de Belin.
Former detective senior constable Shawn Adams, 48, is facing one charge of perjury for allegedly lying under oath during the February 2020 trial of the St George Illawarra Dragons forward and his co-accused, Callan Sinclair.
Prosecutors allege Adams, the lead detective in the sexual assault case, lied about what he found in text messages between de Belin and a contact saved as “Craig Lawyer” that were contained on a Nokia mobile phone.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.He allegedly lied in telling the court the texts related only to Dragons club business.
At the time, de Belin and Sinclair were facing allegations they raped a 19-year-old woman in a North Wollongong unit in December 2018.
The pair maintained they had a consensual threesome, with two juries unable to reach a verdict on most charges after acquitting the pair of one offence and the remainder being dropped by prosecutors.
Adams did not appear when his matter was heard in Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, as bail conditions were sought by prosecutors.
His lawyer argued the former officer was not a flight risk.
Magistrate Claire Girotto said conditions should be imposed to reduce the chance Adams would flee due to the nature of the allegations.
“These are very serious charges,” she said.
“To be on the safe side, there should be something to mitigate the risk of flight.”
Adams’ lawyer agreed to conditions including that he continue to live at his address in Wilton, southwest of Sydney.
The matter is due to return to court on August 21 for charge certification.
