Home Sports Kurtley Beale to make shock comeback to footy just a month after beating rape charge in court

Kurtley Beale to make shock comeback to footy just a month after beating rape charge in court

by Alexander
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Beale (pictured outside a Sydney court during his trial in January) has returned to playing for the famous Randwick Rugby Union Club.
  • Former Wallaby, 35, was found not guilty in early February
  • There was reportedly a chance of returning for an NRL team.
  • Beale was suspended from rugby in January 2023

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Former Wallabies star Kurtley Beale returns to the field with one of rugby’s most famous clubs just over a month after he was found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a Bondi Beach pub.

The 35-year-old will not compete for Randwick in the Club Rugby Championship in Sydney this Saturday after training with the team last week, which will take him back to the team he last played for in 2015.

It is a surprising development considering Beale left the club in shock when he defected to rivals Eastern Suburbs in shocking circumstances in May 2018.

Randwick, nicknamed Galloping Greens due to his club colors and expansive playing style, found out about his move when he was pictured wearing an Easts shirt at a press conference.

Beale (pictured outside a Sydney court during his trial in January) has returned to playing for the famous Randwick Rugby Union Club.

Beale (pictured outside a Sydney court during his trial in January) has returned to playing for the famous Randwick Rugby Union Club.

It's a surprising reunion considering the 35-year-old (pictured scoring for the Wallabies in 2017) had a bitter split with the team in 2018.

It's a surprising reunion considering the 35-year-old (pictured scoring for the Wallabies in 2017) had a bitter split with the team in 2018.

It’s a surprising reunion considering the 35-year-old (pictured scoring for the Wallabies in 2017) had a bitter split with the team in 2018.

‘I think it shows a lot of disrespect from Easts and Kurtley. “This has left a bitter taste in our mouths,” said then-Randwick coach Bob Dwyer, who led the Wallabies to World Cup glory in 1991.

One of his previous stints with Randwick came while he was spending time away from the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby team while undergoing counseling and rehabilitation for alcohol problems.

It had previously been reported that NRL clubs, including the Bulldogs, were watching the star as he attempted to return to the field.

Beale was found not guilty of one count of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching in a Sydney court on February 9 this year.

He had been suspended from all forms of rugby since January 2023 due to the charges he faced.

The jury took just one hour to reach their verdict on the alleged incident, which his accuser said occurred in December 2022 at Bondi’s Beach Road Hotel in Sydney’s east.

Beale was seen wiping away tears and hugging supporters after the verdict was handed down.

“I have always maintained my innocence,” he said.

The former Wallabies star (pictured playing for Australia in 2019) had always maintained his innocence after he was charged with three counts over the alleged incident on Bondi Beach.

The former Wallabies star (pictured playing for Australia in 2019) had always maintained his innocence after he was charged with three counts over the alleged incident on Bondi Beach.

The former Wallabies star (pictured playing for Australia in 2019) had always maintained his innocence after he was charged with three counts over the alleged incident on Bondi Beach.

Beale (pictured outside the pitch in January) was reportedly being watched by NRL teams, including the Bulldogs, as he attempted to revive his career.

Beale (pictured outside the pitch in January) was reportedly being watched by NRL teams, including the Bulldogs, as he attempted to revive his career.

Beale (pictured outside the pitch in January) was reportedly being watched by NRL teams, including the Bulldogs, as he attempted to revive his career.

“My family and I have suffered a terrible year and I am very glad that the truth has come to light.”

At trial, Beale’s lawyer, Margaret Cunneen SC, claimed the 29-year-old woman had consented and was “in control” of the encounter and had made the accusations to “gain sympathy” from her fiancé.

In her closing speech, Beale’s lawyer, Margaret Cunneen SC, focused on one of the key aspects of the trial: a secretly recorded phone call during which Beale first learned of the allegations.

In the call, the woman told Beale that she had not consented to the sexual act.

At first, he said the pair were “connected,” before admitting he had “misjudged the situation.”

Cunneen told jurors Thursday that Beale’s interpretation of the situation the night before the call was that the sex act in the bathroom was “totally consensual.”

“He genuinely believed she had given and communicated her consent…when she spoke something different (on the call), Mr. Beale says he must have misinterpreted it,” she said.

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