Jack De Belin is hit with a fresh criminal charge as he awaits trial accused of raping a 19-year-old woman St George Illawarra player has been hit with a fresh criminal charge of assault Jack De Belin accused of raping woman, 19, with his friend Callan Sinclair 'I am innocent and will vigorously defend the charge against me,' he said earlierBy Daniel Piotrowski for Daily Mail Australia Published: 07:23 BST, 27 June 2019 | Updated: 07:24 BST, 27 June 2019 Rugby league star and accused rapist Jack De Belin has been hit with a fresh criminal charge. A New South Wales police spokesman said on Wednesday that De Belin has been slapped with an additional charge of assault occasioning bodily harm. The St George Illawarra footballer has pleaded not guilty to raping a woman, 19, with his friend Callan Sinclair after a night out in Wollongong in December. Jack De Belin has been hit with an additional charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm The charges led De Belin to be banned from playing football under the NRL's new no-fault stand down policy. He is appealing a court's decision to uphold the policy but the case is not listed for hearing until August. De Belin last spoke publicly about the alleged crimes in a statement released by his club in March. 'Rugby league has always been a big part of my life, I love the game,' he said. 'I am innocent and will vigorously defend the charge against me. 'I want to thank my partner, family, friends, the club, members, sponsors and fans for the support they have given me during this difficult time.' Share or comment on this article: Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility