Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has shared a cheeky Instagram post with his wife, just a day before his lawyers argued to have his bail conditions relaxed.
The former footy legend did not appear in Sydney’s Downing Center District Court on Friday as his lawyer applied to have the conditions changed ahead of a long wait to face a jury.
However, he had been active on social media in the lead up to the court matter, posting a cheeky Instagram post with his wife Amellia Bonnici.
Ms Bonnici shared a photo which revealed the former Parramatta Eels fullback had eaten several heart-shaped chocolates behind her back.
“Didn’t want to eat them all,” the Instagram post read with a thinking emoji, tagging her husband.
Mr Hayne re-posted the story with a caption: “Helping you eat clean.”
Defense solicitor Lauren MacDougall faced court on Friday morning on behalf of the former footy star, changing his bail conditions so he no longer had to report to police.
Mr Hayne did not appear in court.
Up until April, he was required to report to Merrylands Police Station three times a week, where it was relaxed to just once.
Judge Timothy Gartelmann on Friday granted Ms McDougall’s application, which was unopposed by the crown.
Mr Hayne has consistently denied the allegations.
In March, the Director of Public Prosecutions announced it would elect to try Mr Hayne a third time
The trial is set to be held at Sydney’s Downing Center District Court starting on March 6 next year.
Former Australian boxing champion Marc Bargero is fighting to avoid being sent to jail after being found guilty of drunkenly sexually assaulting a teenage girl as she slept.
Bargero contested allegations he had performed an oral sex act on the 15-year-old girl after putting her to bed, however was found guilty after facing a judge-alone trial earlier this year.
Bargero confessed to “sniffing” the girl’s crotch in an attempt to relive his first sexual experience, but had denied he had licked the girl’s vagina.
The court was told during his trial that Bargero was visiting a woman at her home on Sydney’s northern beaches when the teen arrived with a group of other youths.
When the girl passed out after drinking alcohol, Bargero took her upstairs and placed her on a bed.
The court was previously told he returned a short time later, moved the girl towards the edge of the bed, pulled her pants down, got on her knees, kissed her stomach and licked her vagina.
The girl woke up and fled downstairs, crying and saying: “I just woke up and he was just eating me out.”
In an interview with police, Bargero told officers he wanted to relive his first sexual experience, where he would get under a table and “sniff” an older woman.
“I had my head down there but I was just sniffin’ it,” Bargero told police, the court previously heard.
“I got carried away at the moment, I got a bit too drunk.”
He stated that he had not touched the girl’s vagina.
However, Judge Tim Gartelmann accepted the girl’s evidence and noted that due to his level of intoxication, Bargero could not remember all he did that night.
Bargero was found guilty of sexual intercourse without consent and intentionally sexually touching the girl.
During a sentence hearing on Friday afternoon, his barrister Stephen Russell said he had shown considerable contrition, despite pleading not guilty and fighting the allegations.
Mr Russell said Bargero had experienced significant “public shame and humiliation” through social media and the media.
The court heard that during his police interview he had asked officers if he could meet with the complainant and her family to apologize for his actions.
He had also offered to plead guilty to lesser charges, however it was rejected by the prosecution.
Mr Russell said Bargero had been “through the ringer” in life, had suffered mental illness and depression and had to be hospitalized and medicated following the death of his mother.
He submitted that Bargero could serve his sentence by way of a community corrections order or intensive corrections order, pointing to his lack of criminal history.
“He’s a man who had no history of anything like this,” Mr Russell said.
“People speak of him being respectful. The evidence given before your honor by a female witness indicated that he was very respectful towards women.
“This event must be seen as… a complete aberration. And he knows that himself.
“He was offended by his own behavior that he believed he had committed at that time, he stressed it so profoundly in both interviews.”
However, the crown prosecution submitted he should be jailed, with Judge Gartelmann to decide his fate later this month.
NRL rising star Manase Fainu has denied plunging a steak knife into the back of a church youth leader, saying he backed away from a wild brawl after he heard someone yell “knife, knife”.
Mr Fainu, 24, is standing trial in the Parramatta District Court where he has denied stabbing Faamanu Levi in his back near his shoulder during a bloody brawl outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Wattle Grove on October 25, 2019.
Fainu has pleaded not guilty to one count of wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and he on Monday took the witness stand as he fights the allegations.
The court has heard that Mr Levi had earlier in the night spoken to two men who were involved in an altercation on the dance floor.
Mr Levi and his friends were later attacked by a group of men inside the church parking lot in a brawl in-between two parked cars but Mr Fainu said he played no part.
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NRL star Manase Fainu has told the court he did not stab a church leader in the back. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian GillesSource: News Corp Australia
The Manly Sea Eagles hooker on Monday told the jury he went to the dance with his friends, including Uona “Big Buck” Faingaa, who the court heard was attempting to recover money he was owed from a man.
Mr Fainu said he saw two of his mates including “Big Buck” being escorted off the church grounds and followed them, apologizing to a security guard for his friend’s behavior on the way out.
CCTV played during the trial has shown Mr Fainu jumping the fence from a Coles car park back into the church grounds shortly before the brawl.
Mr Fainu has told the court he told his friends he would go inside to collect Big Buck’s money by himself, however his friends followed him over the fence.
Faamanu Levi has told the court he did not know who stabbed him in the back. Picture: Shannon TonkinSource: Supplied
He said he was walking through the car park to the chapel when he saw a brawl erupt about 10 to 15 meters away.
“I just saw something, like a brawl going on,” Mr Fainu said.
“I started, like, back-pedaling and walking backwards,” he said, arguing he knew he couldn’t defend himself.
The court has heard he had undergone shoulder surgery and his arm was in a sling at the time.
Asked by his barrister Margaret Cunneen SC if he had a knife that night, he said “no, mam”.
He said he never saw a knife in any of his friends’ possession and ran away when he heard someone yell “knife, knife”.
“I just saw (the brawl) for, like, a minute or two and then I ran away; I was scared for myself,” he said.
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Manase Fainu is standing trial in the NSW District Court. Picture: AAP / Brendon ThorneSource: AAP
He said he took his sling off to jump back over the fence and while in the parking lot, he talked to his friends about the brawl.
Mr Fainu told the court he heard “Big Buck” say he “dropped someone” and none of his friends told him about someone being stabbed.
Mr Levi has previously told the court he did not see who stabbed him.
Witness Tony Quach last week told the court he saw Mr Fainu stab Mr Levi in the back during the brawl and could identify him from his sling.
“Sir, you were the one who plunged the knife into the back of Faamanu Levi on the 25th of October, 2019, weren’t you?” crown prosecutor Emma Curran asked
“No, mam,” Mr Fainu replied.
Manase Fainu has told the court he went back into the church to collect money owed to a friend. Picture: John Grainger.Source: News Corp Australia
CCTV played to the court showed Mr Fainu in the parking lot with a white towel on his head.
He denied it was an effort to hide his identity, saying he had soaked it in cold water because he had a headache, adding it was a common practice at Manly training
The video showed him scaling a fire hydrant to get over the fence about 11.20pm.
He said he climbed the fence because it was the quickest way to get back into the church, despite telling Ms Curran he could have walked back in via the front gate because he wasn’t kicked out of the dance.
He said he thought he was going by himself but after he had got over the wall he realized his friends had followed.
“Why did you jump over?” Mr Fainu claimed he told his friends about him.
He said he told “Big Buck” and his other friends to “wait there” but “Big Buck” was angry and said “f*** that, I’ll go get it.”
“Why did you feel such a responsibility to Big Buck to go and get the money for him?” Ms Curran asked.
“Because I was the driver, I was just a good friend,” Mr Fainu said.
Former NRL star Michael Lichaa has been acquitted of domestic violence charges after his former partner refused to turn up to court and ex-teammate Adam Elliott vouched for his version of events.
The 18-month saga finally drew to a close on Friday when Mr Lichaa was found not guilty of assaulting his former partner Kara Childerhouse during a heated late-night incident at his south Sydney home.
Mr Lichaa, 29, has persistently denied assaulting his former finance and Magistrate Melissa Humphreys on Friday acquitted him of common assault and intimidation charges.
Michael Lichaa (centre). Picture: NewsWire/Seb Haggett.Source: NCA NewsWireMichael Lichaa and Kara Childerhouse. Picture: Supplied.Source: Supplied
His trial before Magistrate Melissa Humphreys took a sensational twist on Thursday when Ms Childerhouse refused to turn up to Sutherland Local Court to give evidence.
Despite being subpoenaed and midway through her testimony police were unable to contact her after knocking on her door and calling her.
The court heard that she no longer wanted to take part in the proceedings and was pregnant and worried about the stress of reliving the incident.
All of her testimony which she had given up until that point was excluded though a statement, in which she retracted the allegations, was admitted into evidence.
It left the prosecution with no evidence to tend on the assault charge.
Kara Childerhouse failed to turn up to Sutherland Local Court. Picture: John GraingerSource: News Corp Australia
Police had alleged he was involved in an argument, which prompted concerned neighbors to call police to his Connells Point home.
The court has heard that the incident occurred after Mr Lichaa caught Ms Childerhouse performing a sexual act on his mate and former teammate Adam Elliott.
Mr Elliott told the court on Thursday that he had been drinking for 12 hours following a party at Mr Lichaa’s home.
When it was suggested that Mr Lichaa had assaulted Ms Childerhouse, he said “I disagree.”
Mr Elliott told the court that Mr Lichaa exclaimed “what the f*** are you doing?” and he went outside and walked back and forth in a heated state.
Adam Elliott told the court that Michael Lichaa did not assault his former partner. Picture: NRL Imagery.Source: SuppliedMichael Licha. Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
A witness previously told the court that she heard a man saying loudly “I’m going to f***ing kill her”.
His lawyer James Trevallion denied that amounted to an offense of intimidation, adding there was no evidence the words were said in her presence.
“Clearly it was a situation where there was a lot of emotion and feeling and it would be remarkable when walking up and down the street if he wasn’t yelling and screaming and emotional and upset about what had occurred,” Mr Trevallion told the court on Friday.
Former NRL star Michael Lichaa has been acquitted of domestic violence charges after his former partner refused to turn up to court and ex-teammate Adam Elliott vouched for his version of events.
The 18-month saga finally drew to a close on Friday when Mr Lichaa was found not guilty of assaulting his former partner Kara Childerhouse during a heated late-night incident at his south Sydney home.
Mr Lichaa, 29, has persistently denied assaulting his former finance and Magistrate Melissa Humphreys on Friday acquitted him of common assault and intimidation charges.
His trial before Magistrate Melissa Humphreys took a sensational twist on Thursday when Ms Childerhouse refused to turn up to Sutherland Local Court to give evidence.
Despite being subpoenaed and midway through her testimony police were unable to contact her after knocking on her door and calling her.
The court heard that she no longer wanted to take part in the proceedings and was pregnant and worried about the stress of reliving the incident.
All of her testimony which she had given up until that point was excluded though a statement, in which she retracted the allegations, was admitted into evidence.
It left the prosecution with no evidence to tend on the assault charge.
Police had alleged he was involved in an argument, which prompted concerned neighbors to call police to his Connells Point home.
The court has heard that the incident occurred after Mr Lichaa caught Ms Childerhouse performing a sexual act on his mate and former teammate Adam Elliott.
Mr Elliott told the court on Thursday that he had been drinking for 12 hours following a party at Mr Lichaa’s home.
When it was suggested that Mr Lichaa had assaulted Ms Childerhouse, he said “I disagree.”
Mr Elliott told the court that Mr Lichaa exclaimed “what the f*** are you doing?” and he went outside and walked back and forth in a heated state.
A witness previously told the court that she heard a man saying loudly “I’m going to f***ing kill her”.
His lawyer James Trevallion denied that amounted to an offense of intimidation, adding there was no evidence the words were said in her presence.
“Clearly it was a situation where there was a lot of emotion and feeling and it would be remarkable when walking up and down the street if he wasn’t yelling and screaming and emotional and upset about what had occurred,” Mr Trevallion told the court on Friday.
The former fiancee of Michael Lichaa has refused to show up to court and give evidence – because she is pregnant – as the ex-NRL star fights domestic violence allegations.
The former Cronulla and Canterbury hooker has denied assaulting his former partner Kara Childerhouse during a heated late-night incident in February last year.
The conclusion of the matter was due to be heard at Sutherland Local Court on Thursday and Friday.
Police allege Mr Lichaa, 29, was involved in an argument that prompted concerned neighbors to call police to his Connells Point home in southern Sydney.
The court was told that the incident occurred after Mr Lichaa caught Ms Childerhouse cheating on him with his best mate and former teammate Adam Elliott.
The court was due to hear evidence from Mr Elliott on Thursday.
However, the police prosecution applied for an adjournment after tending to a doctor’s note saying that Ms Childerhouse was pregnant and she claimed she was unfit to give evidence until October 31.
Hours later the court was told that Ms Childerhouse’s mother had arrived at Sutherland Court House and told police that Ms Childerhouse did not want to relive the “trauma” and was worried about the stress of having to give evidence having already twice been in the witness box. .
Ms Childerhouse was in the middle of cross-examination when she failed to show up to court on Thursday.
The prosecution conceded that there was no guarantee that she would show up to court if the hearing – which has already dragged on for nearly nine months – was further pushed back.
“I’ve not heard any information which provides me with any confidence that Ms Childerhouse is likely to attend if granted an adjournment,” magistrate Melissa Humphreys said.
“It would appear Ms Childerhouse no longer wishes to participate in the proceedings.”
Police had attempted to contact her by phone and email and knocked on her door on Thursday; however, she did not respond, the court was told.
Ms Childerhouse has previously given part of her evidence in closed court. Defense barrister James Trevallion applied for all of her testimony from her to be struck out because he had not been able to cross-examine her on key issues.
Ms Childerhouse had claimed that during the incident that Mr Lichaa pushed her, causing her to hit her head against a wall, the court was previously told.
Mr Lichaa has pleaded not guilty to common assault and stalking/intimidate causing fear of physical harm.
He pleaded guilty to the less serious charge of destroying property.
Earlier, Ms Humphreys ruled that a statement given by Ms Childerhouse, in which she retracted the allegations, would be admitted into evidence.
The hearing has now stretched on since late last year – day one of the trial was held in early November last year before it returned to court in March.
The proceedings have so far been concerned with legal arguments about the admissibility of Ms Childerhouse’s statutory declaration in which she said she did not want an AVO taken out on her behalf.
The police prosecution has asked Ms Humphreys to rule it inadmissible after Ms Childerhouse claimed that she was pressured into making it by Mr Lichaa, his parents and solicitor.
However, Ms Humphreys said she could make no finding of impropriety and said it would be included.
