A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Wallabies star Kurtley Beale in a bathroom stall has been grilled over four intense days in the witness box.
Mr Beale, 35, is facing a jury trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre Court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching.
Police allege Mr Beale groped a woman’s bottom at the Beach Road bar in Bondi on December 17, 2022, before forcing her into oral sex in the men’s bathroom.
In her evidence, the 29-year-old claimed Mr Beale had been “forceful” and “desperate” when he pleaded with her for sex, urging them to go and “find a corner” together.
The woman was captured on CCTV entering the men’s bathroom after the former NSW Waratah, before she alleges he barged in on her in the stall and locked the door.
Breaking down in tears while giving her evidence, the woman claimed Mr Beale proceeded to remove his penis while she was seated on the toilet.
The woman told the jury after the alleged act Mr Beale spun her around and bent her over, before she was able to right herself and left the stall.
About a month later, the woman put her allegations to Mr Beale in an explosive phone call secretly recorded by NSW police as part of their investigation.
Mr Beale initially said the pair had “hooked up”, but when faced with claims the woman had said no, he admitted he was “coming around to it”.
He told the woman he had “f****g misjudged the situation”, and encouraged the woman to contact him if she intended to “take it further”.
“I just kind of want to prevent things moving forward, but (instead) dealing with them in a civil way that’s kind of protecting both of us,” he said.
Over two days of intense cross examination, Mr Beale’s barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, grilled the rugby star’s accuser, including over notes before the call.
The handwritten notes included the stated purpose for the call, which the woman had written was to “convince him he is guilty and not innocent”.
The woman, who cannot be named, was also grilled over her state of mind before the alleged incident following an argument with her fiance.
Ms Cunneen claimed the woman had used the allegations to “save her marriage” after she texted him that afternoon “do you still want to marry me”. He did not reply.
“You decided to use this interaction, that you controlled, to get the sympathy of (your fiance), of your sister and of your family,” Ms Cunneen told the court.
Ms Cunneen also added later: “You made this up for the purpose to save your marriage – your proposed marriage – that you anticipated so excitedly.”
The woman vehemently denied the allegations.
She also faced questions about discrepancies between early accounts to her fiance and family that it was Mr Beale that followed her into the bathroom.
Those claims came into view again on Friday when, after her fiance gave evidence, the woman returned again to the witness box.
The woman’s partner broke down when giving his evidence, as he recalled the first time she told him about the allegations in detail.
“She told me ‘Kurtley followed me into the bathroom and pulled out his penis and tried to push it into my mouth, and I was pushing him away and saying no’,” he said.
Under cross-examination, he later added: “She also said during the night that Kurtley was grabbing her on the arse a few times and she was pushing his hand away”.
In her evidence, the woman said she had told her partner she was sexually assaulted or raped, and had not elaborated further, including about the alleged groping.
The trial will continue on Monday.
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