Rugby star loses six-figure court fight after being cleared of sexual assault

Wallabies star Kurtley Beale has lost his bid to have his hefty legal bill paid by the state after he was cleared of sexually assaulting a woman at a Sydney bar.

The 35-year-old stood trial in the NSW District Court earlier this year after he pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching.

Following a two-week trial, the jurors took less than an hour to determine the rugby star had not groped a woman’s bottom at the Beach Road bar in Bondi on December 17, 2022.

They also rejected the woman’s claims Mr Beale had then forced her to engage in oral sex in the men’s bathroom.

The Wallabies star had consistently denied the allegations and told reporters he was relieved the “truth has come out” after he was cleared of the charges.

“I have always maintained my innocence,” he said.

“My family and I have suffered a terrible year.”

On Friday, Judge Graham Turnbull ruled Mr Beale’s legal bills would not be paid for by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

It’s understood the rugby star’s legal costs amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Judge Turnbull determined it had been reasonable for the Crown prosecutor to institute proceedings against Mr Beale over the allegations.

“I conclude there were questions of substance to be determined and it was not just simply a word on word case,” he said.

During a costs hearing in April, Mr Beale’s lawyer Margaret Cunneen SC argued the Crown case against her client was “extremely weak” and should never have been run.

She maintained CCTV footage of the night of the alleged assault was “most spectacularly different” to the woman’s version of events and showed parts of her account were “plainly wrong”.

However, Crown prosecutor Philip Hogan contended Mr Beale’s statements about the alleged sexual assault in recorded phone calls meant there was a reasonable case to prosecute.

In the phone call, Mr Beale told the woman he “misjudged the whole scenario” and said “that’s my f**k up I have to live with”.

During the costs hearing, Judge Turnbull said the taped phone calls appeared to be “a very potent reason to charge” the rugby star.

On Friday, he refused to order the Crown to pay Mr Beale’s costs.

Mr Beale can appeal Judge Turnbull’s ruling over his legal costs.

If he elects not to appeal, Friday’s decision will mark the final stage of the lengthy legal battle that has overshadowed the past two years of Mr Beale’s life.

The 35-year-old was stood down by Rugby Australia in January 2023 but he returned to the sport in March after his acquittal.

He was recently recalled to the Wallabies but an injury may have stymied his return to the national team.