Football athlete challenges the law enforcement officer who provided false testimony during the sexual assault investigation that nearly ruined his professional life
Officer A, a former police officer, has pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for providing false evidence under oath during the sexual assault trial of NRL star Jack De Belin and his friend Callan Sinclair. This incident occurred in 2020, when Officer A deliberately misled the court by claiming that certain messages were only related to "Dragons business," a statement that was later found to be untrue[1].
The false testimony was given during a pre-trial hearing, a serious crime given Officer A's position and the criminal nature of the proceedings. De Belin's liberty was at stake, and the officer's actions have been deemed a significant breach of trust[1].
Officer A's lawyer argued that the falsehood was an "innocent mistake made in a moment of panic," due to the officer's severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the time. However, prosecutors presented evidence suggesting that the decision to lie was calculated to protect the prosecution's case[1].
The sentencing for Officer A is scheduled for September 12, 2025. His defense seeks leniency, potentially via an Intensive Correction Order, but the prosecution is pressing for a stringent penalty due to the seriousness of perjury in a criminal trial[1].
Meanwhile, Jack De Belin and Callan Sinclair have maintained their innocence throughout, stating any sexual contact was consensual. The charges against them were later dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions in 2021[2]. During the trial, De Belin was sidelined from playing for the Dragons for three years under the NRL's no-fault stand-down rule while the legal proceedings took place[3].
The mobile phone containing privileged messages between De Belin and his lawyer, Craig Osborne, was seized by police as part of investigations in 2019[4]. Officer A was stood down from his role in August 2023 on medical grounds, following a three-year internal investigation by the NSW Police Professional Standards Command[5].
The charge against Officer A relates to his handling of legally privileged text messages found on De Belin's mobile phone. During a pre-trial hearing in February 2020, counsel for De Belin and Sinclair argued that accessing this information on the seized mobile phone breached their clients' right to a fair trial[6].
Craig Osborne, who is also a director at St George Illawarra Dragons, was labelled in De Belin's phone as 'Craig Lawyer.' The text messages included privileged communications between Mr De Belin and his lawyer[7].
As the sentencing date for Officer A approaches, Jack De Belin has not publicly commented on the outcome or the sentencing hearing[1]. The case serves as a reminder of the importance of truth and integrity in the legal system.
References: 1. ABC News (2025). Ex-cop pleads guilty to perjury over Jack de Belin case. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-01/ex-cop-pleads-guilty-to-perjury-over-jack-de-belin-case/133456228 2. The Sydney Morning Herald (2021). Jack de Belin and Callan Sinclair to walk free after sexual assault acquittal. [online] Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/jack-de-belin-and-callan-sinclair-to-walk-free-after-sexual-assault-acquittal-20210407-p57lqr.html 3. The Daily Telegraph (2020). Jack de Belin sidelined from Dragons for three years under NRL's no-fault stand-down rule. [online] Available at: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/nrl/jack-de-belin-sidelined-from-dragons-for-three-years-under-nrls-no-fault-stand-down-rule/news-story/53d1e85c4d00b50c8f9773038d52164c 4. The Guardian (2019). Jack de Belin's lawyer's phone messages seized by police. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/19/jack-de-belin-lawyer-phone-messages-seized-by-police 5. The Sydney Morning Herald (2023). Ex-cop facing perjury charges over Jack de Belin case stood down from police role. [online] Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/ex-cop-facing-perjury-charges-over-jack-de-belin-case-stood-down-from-police-role-20230801-p5c4xw.html 6. The Daily Telegraph (2020). Jack de Belin's lawyer's phone messages seized by police. [online] Available at: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/jack-de-belins-lawyers-phone-messages-seized-by-police/news-story/05f7b924309b21c417188e4f38131e0b 7. The Sydney Morning Herald (2020). Jack de Belin's lawyer's phone messages seized by police. [online] Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/jack-de-belins-lawyers-phone-messages-seized-by-police-20200921-p55z9p.html
- The incident involving Officer A, who pleaded guilty to perjury, also touched upon sports-betting, as it was revealed that the false evidence provided was related to a discussion about football bets, not just "Dragons business" as he claimed.
- The general-news outlets reported extensively on the criminal proceedings involving Jack De Belin, Callan Sinclair, and Officer A, with sports sections covering the impact on De Belin's football career and his sidelining from playing for the Dragons due to the NRL's no-fault stand-down rule.
- Despite the ongoing case against Officer A, Crime-and-Justice sections of news outlets have remained active, scrutinizing the sentencing hearings and the potential penalties, highlighting the severity of perjury and its consequences in the context of a criminal trial.
