Sydney Swans strippers uncover the ‘ultimate betrayal’: Fresh details emerge about secret recording at the heart of the scandal as dancers discover friend who leaked the audio to AFL officials

The mystery person behind a secret recording at the centre of the Sydney Swans controversy can be revealed for the first time as the flatmate of one of the three women involved.

The audio, which was later seized by police during a raid on a Melbourne home, was secretly made in the hours after the alleged incident at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel opposite the MCG in the early hours of August 17.

Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice were at a party where three adult entertainers later claimed to police they had been sexually assaulted.

Police launched an investigation into the allegations and the five players were stood down for the remainder of the AFL season after breaching the club’s code of conduct by drinking and bringing women back to their hotel.

No charges have been laid and the Daily Mail does not suggest the players are personally under investigation. Furthermore, Bice was cleared by police in early September and is now being treated solely as a witness.

Until now, the identity of the person behind one of the most mysterious pieces of evidence in the case has remained secret.

But the Daily Mail can reveal the recording was made by a man who was living with one of the strippers, with friends saying it was ‘the ultimate betrayal’.

‘It was one of their flatmates,’ a friend said.

‘It was just after the incident and they were talking about it, what happened that night, how they were feeling about it and what they were going to do next.’

The contents of the audio have not been officially released but according to the friend, the women cannot now recall exactly what they discussed among themselves and have no idea what was captured.

‘The days after are a bit of a blur as to what they said to who. They made police statements, they had meetings with their [civil] lawyers, talked to several friends and even media,’ the friend said.

‘So they are not completely certain what was even said.

‘But this flatmate recorded them – in secret – and later contacted the Swans about it.’

It was then the club alerted the AFL Integrity Unit, which passed the information to Victoria Police, before detectives executed a warrant at a Melbourne property and seized the recording in early September.

The friend told the Mail that the women only recently found out who was responsible and are baffled as to his motivation.

‘Look, we don’t exactly know what his intentions were, but seeing as the Swans passed it on to the Integrity Unit, we are assuming he was trying to sell it and make some money,’ the friend said.

‘Why else would he be telling AFL bosses he had the recording?

‘If he thought he had important evidence to do with an ongoing investigation, wouldn’t he take it to the police?’

It’s understood that once the audio was seized, detectives then called the women back to make further statements as they worked through the accounts of everyone involved.

However, the Mail can reveal that those final interviews were only completed last week and since then one of the women has left Victoria.

‘She doesn’t feel safe there and is really paranoid, especially after they found it was the flatmate. She doesn’t know who to trust now.’

The development comes amid growing doubt in AFL and legal circles over whether the evidence gathered by police will ultimately result in charges against any of the four players.

There is also divided legal opinion over whether the original secret audio recording, which was seized by police in September, would even be admissible in court if the case proceeded.

Detectives are now expected to provide a brief of evidence to the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions, which will ultimately consider whether there are reasonable prospects of securing a conviction.

But the three women remain hopeful the investigation will result in charges, with sources saying they believe the intense public interest will work in their favour.

‘They know all eyes are on this and they believe that means the police will lay charges.’