sport news Jack de Belin's mum lashes out at legal system and NSW police over handling of ... trends now
The mother of NRL star Jack de Belin has slammed the legal system and NSW Police for their handling of his rape case and claimed officers were responsible for making it impossible for him to get a fair trial.
Cathy de Belin acknowledges the St George Illawarra Dragons forward, 31, behaved immorally after cheating on his long-term partner Alyce Taylor - but in Mrs de Belin's eyes, her son was hung out to dry when he was charged with sexual assault following a night out on the NSW south coast in December 2018.
De Belin and his co-accused Callan Sinclair were acquitted after a second trial when the jury was unable to reach a verdict on four of the charges and found both men not guilty on another charge.
The woman involved in the alleged incident - who was 19 at the time - claimed she was a victim of sexual assault.
Mrs De Belin and Callan Sinclair's mother Gai initially felt the sorry episode was a misunderstanding that would be resolved by investigating police.
It quickly emerged that wouldn't be the case.
The mother of NRL star Jack de Belin has lashed out at the legal system and NSW police for their handling of his rape case, believing it was impossible for the footballer to get a fair trial
De Belin and his co-accused Callan Sinclair (pictured right) faced two trials and were eventually acquitted, with both men adamant the sexual encounter was consensual
'These boys were assumed guilty from the start,' Gai Sinclair told the Daily Telegraph. 'We feel strongly that at no point was the truth of the matter ever in play.'
Mrs de Belin soon formed the view the police were after a 'big fish' in the form of her famous footballer son.
During the trials it emerged police had allegedly viewed text messages - and made copies - from de Belin's phone to his legal representative, Craig Osborne, a Dragons board member and partner at RMB lawyers.
When Mr Sinclair had his home raided and his iPhone seized, he later discovered emails from his Gmail account to his legal team had allegedly been viewed by police.
Detective Senior Constable Shawn Adams admitted under oath in the 2021 retrial at Sydney's Downing
