Sports journalist Paul Kent has been found not guilty of allegations he attacked and choked his then-partner at his home in Sydney’s inner west.
Following a two-day hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, Magistrate Daniel Rees told the court he could not find the charges proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Mr Rees said Mr Kent had acted in defence of his own property after the his former partner took his phone following an argument.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Kent told the court an argument over a wine bottle contributed to sparking the explosive domestic violence allegations.
The rugby league presenter had consistently denied allegations he assaulted and choked his former partner.
Police had alleged the 53-year-old assaulted his then-girlfriend following a domestic disturbance at his home in Lilyfield in Sydney’s inner west in May.
Taking the stand on Tuesday, Mr Kent told the court he did not choke the woman, but admitted to a physical “wrestle” over the sport reporter’s mobile phone.
Mr Kent said he was writing a column in his office when he was alerted by his CCTV to the woman, who he had separated from the night before, entering his yard.
Confronting her in the hallway, Mr Kent said the woman demanded to see his phone “for answers” after calling him “too gutless” to answer her texts.
Mr Kent told the court he said to the woman that “nothing was going on” and ordered her to leave the home, before she snatched his phone from his desk.
A physical scuffle ensued between the pair according to Mr Kent, who lifted the woman up to spin her around and attempted to jerk the phone from her hands.
After ending on the floor while wrestling for the phone, Mr Kent said the woman accused him of choking and assaulting her and said she would call police.
Relationship characterised by ‘mistrust’
Under cross examination, Mr Kent was grilled by the prosecutor on the pair’s on again, off again relationship he described as being “categorised by mistrust”.
The Daily Telegraph and Fox Sports host told the court he believed the pair had largely separated before she called him the day before the alleged incident.
“She asked if she could come around for a hug. I said: ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea’ … we continued to talk and she cried a little harder,” Mr Kent said.
The Fox host said he relented and told the woman to come over, before the pair had sex. Afterwards, he said she became outraged after opening the fridge.
“She saw a bottle of prosecco in the fridge. She said: ‘whose the fuck is this?’ I had no idea … I said: ‘What are you talking about’,” Mr Kent said.
Mr Kent said he invited over staff from a nearby hotel to his home the previous Saturday, but had forgotten the wine bottle from an earlier occasion.
After disclosing to the woman the names of who had come to the house, Mr Kent said he decided to end the relationship, stating: “I’ve had enough”.
“This shows me it (the relationship) is not going to work. I’m done. I want you to leave. I know we’ve done this before, but this is it. We’re done,” he said.
Mr Kent said he felt “relief” after the break up, and proceeded to ignore text messages and phone calls from the woman into the late evening.
The court was told Mr Kent had also told the woman they “were done” in March, before she stayed over at his home again in April 2023.
Mr Kent also told the court of a prior argument in August 2022 when he said the woman fled down the street with his phone following an argument.
The sports reporter further gave evidence that after his arrest and while awaiting transportation to the police station, an officer told him the woman’s “case is weak”.
“At one point an officer opened the door and said: ‘I cant give you any legal advice, but when they get you to the station they will ask you three things,’” he said.
“‘They will ask: whether you want to be interviewed, say no; Whether you choked her, say no. They’ll also ask you if you assaulted her, say no.’
“‘If you say no to all three of those things they will probably let you go because her (the woman’s) case is weak’. After that, I said ‘Thank you’.”
Dispute over woman’s injuries
Mr Kent’s lawyer,
During the second and final day of hearings, the court also heard
evidence from a physiotherapist who reported “yellowish” bruising around the woman’s neck.
“There was evidence of trauma given the yellowish bruising and swelling and physical neck presentation of reduced range of motion,” physio Stuart McKay said.
“My conclusion was the injury was the result of trauma to the neck. Whether that is strangulation, I cannot say. But, it was consistent with trauma to the neck.”
On Monday, the court was shown body-worn footage of both Mr Kent and the woman, who told officers the Fox host had his hands “around her throat”.
“I didn’t expect this to happen. I don’t want to ruin his life … He has done this before and I have given him a second chance,” the woman said.
Mr Kent claimed woke to an alert on his CCTV that the woman had entered his home through the backdoor after the pair separated the night before.
“I didn’t hit her. I didn’t strike her … She wasn’t in danger … The only time I touched her was to try and get my phone back,” Mr Kent said.
He went on to accuse the woman, who has not been named, of threatening in the past to call police, which might impact his employment.
During the footage, a man who identified himself as Mr Kent’s “boss at Fox Sports” arrived and spoke with officers present at the scene.
Mr Kent was arrested at the scene before being taken to a nearby police station and charged with common assault and choking a person without consent.
A third charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm was added by police in November. Mr Kent has pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
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