EXCLUSIVE
The former police officer accused of perjury in NRL star Jack de Belin’s rape trial could be jailed when he appears in court for the first time on Wednesday.
Shawn Adams was a police detective based in Wollongong, south of Sydney, when he allegedly gave false evidence under oath against De Belin.
Police revealed in May that the 48-year-old had been charged with perjury after a lengthy investigation into De Belin’s rape trial in Wollongong District Court in 2020.
Adams was originally charged with one count of making a false statement under oath amounting to perjury and a second count for the same offense has now been added.
He is also listed as the subject of a detention request by the prosecution when he appears at Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday.
Adams gave evidence at De Belin’s prosecution after investigating allegations that the NRL star and fellow footballer Callan Sinclair had raped a 19-year-old Wollongong woman in 2018.
Shawn Adams, the former police officer accused of perjury in the rape trial of NRL star Jack de Belin, could be jailed when he appears in court for the first time on Wednesday. The footballer appears in the photo.
De Belin and Sinclair’s first trial in the Wollongong trial ended with a hung jury in November 2020.
In a second trial in Sydney, a jury found the Dragons forward and Sinclair not guilty in May 2021 of one count of sexual assault against the woman.
The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining four charges, leading the New South Wales Director of Public Prosecutions not to proceed with a third trial.
Officers attached to the New South Wales Police Force’s professional standards command have begun an investigation into the conduct of officers involved in the court case under Strike Force Ephemeris.
“Following extensive investigations and following advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, police charged a former senior detective with providing false evidence under oath amounting to perjury,” police said on May 3.
Shawn Adams was flogged by Judge Andrew Haesler for his conduct while investigating allegations that de Belin (pictured with partner Alyce Taylor) had raped a 19-year-old Wollongong woman in 2018.
“The 48-year-old man was given a future court attendance notice to appear at Wollongong Local Court on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. Investigations under the Strike Force Ephemeris continue.”
Both de Belin and Sinclair consistently maintained that they were innocent of the rape allegations and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Their families have welcomed the action taken against Adams, and De Belin’s parents and sister expressed their anger at the media and police.
“Of course, we are disappointed and upset at the three years that were taken from Jack and our family during the entire process,” Belin’s mother Cathy, father David and sister Erica wrote in a letter to Nine newspapers.
“It was an incredibly upsetting and stressful time for us, but we are a very close-knit family and we got through it together.
‘We are very proud of Jack. ‘He has a beautiful wife and children, for which he is incredibly grateful.’
De Belin was withdrawn from the NRL in February 2019, two months after he was first charged, pending the outcome of court cases and missing two full NRL seasons.