Former police officer who gave evidence in Jack de Belin sexual assault trial charged with perjury

A former NSW Police officer has been charged with perjury over evidence he gave during NRL star Jack de Belin’s sexual assault court proceedings.

The Director of Public Prosecutions in mid-2021 dropped sexual assault charges against Mr de Belin and his co-accused Callan Sinclair following two District Court trials which ended in hung juries.

NSW Police on Friday said that a former Detective Senior Constable had been charged with perjury relating to Mr de Belin’s case in the Wollongong District Court in February 2020.

Jack de Belin was accused of the sexual assault of a woman and fronted a Sydney court. He was acquitted on one count and the jury could not reach a verdict on others

Both Mr de Belin and Mr Sinclair consistently maintained they were innocent of the allegations and had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

During a second trial, a jury acquitted the pair of one count and was unable to reach a verdict on five other charges, before plans for a third trial were abandoned.

In 2021 the NSW Police Professional Standards Command commenced an investigation under the umbrella of Strike Force Ephemeris to investigate the conduct of officers in the case.

NSW Police said after receiving advice from the Director of Public Prosecution, a former Detective Senior Constable had been charged with giving false evidence under oath amounting to perjury.

The 48-year-old man will appear in Wollongong Local Court on June 19.

NSW Police said investigations under Strike Force Ephemeris were continuing.