A former NRL star has dropped his million-dollar lawsuit against the state of New South Wales, in which he alleged he had been raped by a female prison officer during his time in juvenile detention.
The player, who cannot be named due to the nature of the allegations, claims the abuse occurred when he was 16, leaving him with lasting psychological trauma.
According to a statement of claim filed in the NSW Supreme Court and obtained by the Daily Mail, the man alleges he was abused twice by a prison officer referred to as ‘Jane’.
The former player’s case was dropped on October 26.
The first incident allegedly took place in the juvenile centre’s kitchen, where Jane cornered him, forcing his hands down her pants and under her shirt.
It’s alleged the second incident occurred in the centre’s games room, where Jane reportedly pulled down the player’s pants and performed a sex act on him.
A former NRL player has dropped his $1million lawsuit against the state of NSW (stock image) in which he alleged he was sexually abused by a female guard while in juvenile detention
The former player, who was once considered a promising NRL talent with a big career in front of him, believes the trauma contributed significantly to the decline of his career.
‘He will carry these [mental] wounds for the remainder of his life, and we allege the abuse is partially to blame for ending what was a promising career,’ law clerk Claire Egan said.
The lawsuit was seeking damages for personal injury resulting from the alleged abuse, including exemplary damages, interest, and legal costs.
Had the proceeded to hearing and the former player won, the total amount, including legal costs, could have exceed $1million.
In the statement of claim, the former player alleged that the state was negligent in its duty to provide a safe environment for children in juvenile detention.
He alleged that those running the centre failed to take necessary precautions to prevent physical and sexual abuse of vulnerable children.
His statement asserted that proper supervision of prison officers and ensuring they were never alone with children could have prevented the abuse.
Further, he claimed the centre did not educate detainees about reporting abuse, leaving them feeling unable to speak up against staff wrongdoing.
The player had claimed he suffered lasting psychological trauma from the alleged abuse, which he said occurred when he was 16
The ex-player’s legal documents alleged that the centre failed to implement safeguards that would have allowed children to report sexual advances and abuse.
It was also claimed that those running the juvenile centre should have been aware of the risk of physical and sexual abuse of vulnerable children under their care.
The ex-player claimed that necessary precautions were not taken to prevent such abuse.
These precautions included supervising prison officers and ensuring they were never alone with children.
The ex-player further alleged that children in the centre felt unable to speak up about sexual abuse by staff.
The court documents claimed that the centre took no steps to educate child detainees about their rights or how to report abuse.
