A lawyer representing Kurtley Beale told jurors to keep an open mind as they prepare to hear allegations against the Wallabies and Waratahs utility back, who is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a pub.
It was the first day of Beale’s trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Monday after he pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching another person without consent last year.
Police allege the 35-year-old forced a 28-year-old woman to have oral sex with him in the toilets of Bondi’s Beach Road bar on December 18, 2022.
Another count of inciting another to sexually touch without consent was withdrawn by prosecutors.
, who has represented in 95 Tests, arrived at court with his wife, Maddi, and he is represented by defence lawyer Margaret Cunneen, who urged the jury during Monday’s empanelment to keep their minds open despite Beale’s status as a sports star.
“There are some people in the community who hear an allegation against a man… and think well, he’s a sportsman, he must have done it. He’s guilty,” she said.
“We need people who can act as judges for a time and decide just on the evidence in this case, not because they’ve formed views in other cases about other men.
“It has to be decided on the evidence in this case, and not because of any thoughts about what has happened with other sportsmen or other men.”
Cuneen told the court that CCTV footage from the night of the alleged sexual assault is “at odds” with some of the alleged victim’s claims.
“We have evidence the woman who makes these accusations followed Mr Beale into the toilet and not the other way around,” she said.
“There’s two cases – we need people with an open mind, we just ask that you keep an open mind until all of the evidence is in this trial.”
Meanwhile, crown prosecutor Jeff Tunks told jurors Beale had allegedly “placed his penis in (the woman’s) mouth while in the cubicle of the men’s bathroom.
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Of the 54 potential jurors, 12 were selected for the trial before Justice Graham Turnbull at the Sydney court. They include seven women and five men.
