On a Friday morning in Melbourne, the long shadow of an August night finally lifted in part, as Victoria Police announced they would not lay charges against four Sydney Swans players over reports of sexual assault linked to an afterparty at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne. The inquiry, which had hung over the players and the three women who came forward for nearly three months, ended not in a finding of innocence but in a judgment that the evidence was not sufficient to proceed. It is a narrow conclusion, and it leaves the question of what happened in that hotel room, and the question of h
Four Sydney Swans players will not be charged over Pullman Hotel afterparty allegations
Three women made sexual assault reports to police over the hotel room incident, and no criminal charges will be laid.
Insufficient evidence: a closed criminal case, and a narrow finding
Mark
Police have finished their investigation. What actually happened on Friday?
Mimi
Victoria Police said they won't lay criminal charges against Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon or Nick Blakey. They cited insufficient evidence, after legal advice.
Luke
Worth being exact there. Insufficient evidence is not a finding that nothing happened. It's a statement that charges can't be sustained. The police statement doesn't tell us what was examined.
Mark
And the origin of it all was three women's reports?
Mimi
Yes, three women reported sexual assault to police. That was in August, after the night of August 17 at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne, following the win over Essendon.
Luke
The detail that players were partying with adult entertainers is reported, not confirmed in the police statement. I'd keep that attributed.
Mark
Heeney responded publicly. What did he say?
Mimi
He said the three months had been incredibly difficult for his family and his fiancee Steffi, and thanked those who stood by him.
Luke
That's his account of his own experience. We don't have statements from the women or from the other three players in this material.
Mark
The club had already suspended people, hadn't it?
Mimi
Five players, including Riley Bice, were suspended from round 24 and the two finals for a serious breach of club standards.
Luke
And Bice isn't among those police said wouldn't be charged, so his position with police isn't covered here. Whether the AFL or the club does more is simply unknown.
O Pulso
- Three women's sexual assault reports over an August 17 hotel room incident have put a football club's reputation and a police investigation under sustained public strain.
- The Sydney Swans had already suspended five players from round 24 and the two finals, disrupting the team's season and its standing with fans.
- Victoria Police spent months investigating before concluding there was insufficient evidence to charge Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Nick Blakey.
- The criminal case is closed, but the three women receive no prosecution, and it remains unclear whether the club or the AFL will take further disciplinary steps.
On a Friday morning in Melbourne, the long shadow of an August night finally lifted in part, as Victoria Police announced they would not lay charges against four Sydney Swans players over reports of sexual assault linked to an afterparty at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne. The inquiry, which had hung over the players and the three women who came forward for nearly three months, ended not in a finding of innocence but in a judgment that the evidence was not sufficient to proceed. It is a narrow conclusion, and it leaves the question of what happened in that hotel room, and the question of how a club and a sport answer for it, still open.
On Friday morning, Victoria Police confirmed that their investigation into an afterparty involving Sydney Swans players had ended without criminal charges. Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Nick Blakey, who is now a former Swan, will not face proceedings.
The inquiry began after three women reported sexual assault over a night at a room in the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne on August 17, following a Swans win against Essendon. Police said the decision followed a thorough investigation and legal advice, and that there was insufficient evidence to proceed. They did not describe what investigators weighed.
Heeney, who is 30, welcomed the outcome and spoke of the toll the wait had taken on his family, his fiancee Steffi, and those close to him. He thanked the people who had stood by him.
The club acted before the police decision. Heeney, Warner, Jordon, Blakey and a fifth player, Riley Bice, were suspended from round 24 and the two finals for conduct the Swans called a serious breach of club standards. Bice is not among the four players police will not charge.
The police finding closes the criminal matter, but only narrowly. For the three women, no criminal case will follow. Support services were listed with the report, including 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732). What comes next for the club and the AFL is not yet known.
On Friday morning, Victoria Police confirmed that an investigation running since August had ended without charges against four Sydney Swans players. Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Nick Blakey, who is now a former Swan, will not face criminal proceedings.
The investigation began after three women made reports of sexual assault to police. The reports related to an afterparty in a room at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne on August 17, following a Swans win against Essendon. The players were reportedly partying with adult entertainers in the room.
In a statement, police said the decision followed a thorough investigation and legal advice. Victoria Police will not proceed with criminal charges, the statement said, because of insufficient evidence. The statement did not go further than that in the material available, and it does not describe what investigators found or weighed.
Heeney, who is 30, welcomed the outcome and spoke about the toll of the wait. He said the past three months had been incredibly difficult for his family, his fiancee Steffi, and those close to him, and that watching his family carry the weight of it had been heartbreaking. He thanked family and friends for their love and loyalty, and those who had never doubted him and stood by him.
The club had already acted before the police decision. Heeney, Warner, Jordon and Blakey, along with a fifth player, Riley Bice, were suspended from round 24 and the club's two finals. The Swans described the conduct as a serious breach of expected club behaviour and standards. Bice is not named among the four players police said would not be charged.
The police finding closes the criminal inquiry, but it is a narrow one: a conclusion that the evidence was not sufficient to lay charges. Three women had come forward with reports, and the outcome for them is that no criminal case will follow. Support services were listed alongside the report, including 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) and the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service on 1800 211 028.
What comes next is less clear. The club's suspensions have been served, and the material available does not say whether the Swans or the AFL intend to take any further action now that the police investigation is finished.
Citações Notáveis
Following a thorough investigation and based on legal advice, Victoria Police will not proceed with criminal charges due to insufficient evidence.— Victoria Police statement
The past three months have been incredibly difficult for my family, (fiancee) Steffi, and those close to me.— Isaac Heeney
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Leia o original em The Canberra Times ↗