NRL News 2022: Curtis Scott Guilty of Domestic Violence, Assault Charges
NRL star Curtis Scott has been found guilty of assaulting and threatening ex-partner Tay Reiha Clarke during their nearly two-year relationship.
Justice of the Peace Daniel Covington ruled on Friday that Scott pushed Clark during an altercation at his parents’ home in Sylvania, injuring his head, forearm and wrist.
He also discovered that while on vacation at Lake Conjola on the south coast of New South Wales, Scott charged Ms. Clark and knocked her to the ground.
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Scott was also found to have verbally threatened Mr. Clark over the phone, threatening to kill both Mr. Clark and himself, and then deliberately crashing the car into a tree.
In these cases, he was found guilty of assault that caused actual physical harm, assault in general, and stalking or intimidating with intent to cause fear or physical harm.
Scott was acquitted of several other allegations, including choking Clark during an altercation the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Finals.
He initially launched two charges of general assault, stalking or threatening intended to cause terror or physical harm, intentionally strangling a person without consent, assault causing actual physical harm, and He pleaded not guilty to four counts of willfully strangling a reckless person.
During a series of hearings at Sydney Downing Center District Court, the court heard from witnesses close to both parties, including Scott’s former roommate and Melbourne Storm star Brandon Smith.
Scott admitted that during their nearly two-year relationship from 2017 to 2019, he and Ms. Clark struggled with trust and jealousy issues, which sparked a heated debate.
However, he denied that the argument turned physical and that he never threatened Clark with violence.
Clarke was in tears as the assault evidence and conviction were read out in court with the support of her family.
Mr. Scott sat quietly next to his brother, who gave evidence in his favor during the trial.
When asked why she waited nearly two years to formally file the allegations, Clark said she was hesitant about how the media would portray her.
Clark said she was concerned about how women who have made allegations against NRL players have been treated in the past and whether she would be “scrutinized as a woman”.
Coddington said the evidence presented by Ms Clark’s family was “persuasive” and her testimony was “persuasive”.
On the night of the assault in Sylvania, Sydney, Clark claimed Scott was in bed when he returned home smelling “alcohol.”
There were no direct witnesses to the assault, but Clark’s parents said they were awakened by noises and screams and went downstairs to find their daughter crouching against a wall with Scott over her head. did.
Magistrate Coddington accepted Clarke’s evidence that Mr Scott forced his head against her, pushed her and “threw” her onto the sofa, left a lump on her head and grazes her forearm and wrist.
The assault occurred on Boxing Day 2019 when the two traveled to Lake Conjola to stay at a villa owned by Clark’s uncle.
It followed an altercation between the two over a message from a stranger that Clark received on Christmas Day, after which Scott allegedly got into trouble.
While at the villa, the court claimed that the couple argued that Scott had stepped outside and that Clark and his sister Tomisha had an obscure view of the incident from the back of the car.
“I was looking just to make sure nothing happened. I could see Curtis’ body language becoming aggressive,” Tomisha Clarke told the court.
“I saw him move forward really quickly and her body disappeared.”
Clark said he tried to calm Scott down but used his body to knock her to the ground.
“He lunged at me. I don’t know what the jaw had to do with it. It could have been the shoulder, it could have been the head,” Clark said in his testimony.
After the incident, Scott allegedly told Clark, “I’m really sorry.”
Magistrate Coddington said he was “satisfied that the defendant was charged with knocking the plaintiff to the ground.”
However, evidence of injuries sustained in the incident, including ripped nails, scraped knees and bruises on Clark’s arm, was not sufficiently proven, leading to a general assault conviction, he said. rice field.
In what Coddington called a “breakup case,” Mr. Scott threatened Mr. Clark over the phone while driving after ending the relationship days earlier.
Clark’s parents were also on the phone and testified that they heard Scott calling their daughter a “fuck” and a “whore.”
In his testimony, Mr. Clark testified that he heard Mr. Scott say: This is your fault. ”
She said Mr. Scott shouted at her in “the most frightening voice” – “I’m going to kill you.”
In his testimony, Scott called the moment the worst moment of his life.
Coddington said the evidence did not adequately support Scott’s other allegations, including verbally swearing “every night” and staying at his Melbourne home where he lived with several teammates. rice field.
He also said he did not support Scott beyond reasonable doubt that he choked her on the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Finals in an incident that only the couple was present.
Judgment date is November 18th.
first published as NRL star Curtis Scott found guilty of domestic violence charges
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/nrl-star-curtis-scott-found-guilty-of-domestic-violence-charges/news-story/99a908f005e1f5bad9d5b1b82ca7c122 NRL News 2022: Curtis Scott Guilty of Domestic Violence, Assault Charges