- Connor Lind found guilty of sexual acts with a minor
- A rugby player broke down in tears after the verdict
- Lind denied that sexual acts had occurred.
A promising young rugby player from Sydney broke down in tears and hyperventilated after learning he had been found guilty of sexual acts with a minor.
Connor Lind, 23, faced trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court after pleading not guilty to a series of allegations that he engaged in sexual acts with two girls, aged 14 and 15.
After a week of jury deliberations, Lind sat through the first verdict, not guilty, but collapsed into his hands in tears as three more guilty verdicts were returned.
During the trial, Lind admitted to kissing the 14-year-old girl, but said he stopped the physical contact before it became sexual.
After deliberating for eight days, Lind was found not guilty on Tuesday of a single count of sexual intercourse with a minor, but guilty of two other counts of sexual intercourse with a minor and a single count of intentionally touching a minor.
After further deliberation, the jury reached a verdict of not guilty on a fifth charge of sexual intercourse with a minor involving another complainant.
Prosecutors had alleged that Lind was 19 when he had anal, oral and digital sex with the alleged 14-year-old victim.
The girl was under 16 at the time, but Lind, in her testimony before the jury, denied that the acts had occurred.
Connor Lind (pictured) broke down in tears after learning he had been found guilty of sexual acts with a minor.
Lind, 23, faced trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.
Lind told the jury that she had hugged the girl and that they had kissed “a few times.”
He told the jury he became aroused during the hug but “stopped it immediately.”
“Look, we have to stop now, this is getting too hot,” Lind recalled telling the minor.
He also said he wanted to respect the girl’s wishes not to have sex before marriage.
He said in his testimony that he set clear boundaries because he knew the girl was too young to consent to sexual activity.
“I said nothing sexual could happen because of the age difference,” Lind told the jury.
Lind admitted to kissing the 14-year-old, but said he cut off physical contact before it became sexual.
He told the court he did not reveal his kisses with the underage girl because he “felt quite embarrassed” about his attraction to “someone who is a little bit younger than me.”
The jury found Lind not guilty of having anal sex with the girl, but guilty of charges that he placed his hand on her stomach and inner thigh and performed oral sex on her in a separate incident.
After further deliberations, the jury reached a final verdict of not guilty in relation to allegations that Lind put his hand down the trousers of another 15-year-old girl, without her consent, while he sat in his car on Dee Why beach.
Lind denied the accusation.
An application for detention made by the prosecution on Tuesday afternoon was unsuccessful and the matter was adjourned until sentencing at a later date.
