Former NRL star George Burgess went to a woman’s home intending to be intimate with her while dropping off a shirt for a charity event, but did not touch her, a magistrate has found.
George Burgess has pleaded not guilty to a single charge of sexually touching another person without their consent while at the Mascot woman’s home in Sydney in March 2022.
The former St George Illawarra Dragons and South Sydney Rabbitohs forward admitted going to the home of the woman, who he had known for about a decade, after agreeing to provide a signed shirt for charity.
When Burgess called the court via audio-visual link, Magistrate Emma Manea told the court the former NRL player had attended the woman’s home for just 11 minutes, from 10.24am to 10.35am.
The magistrate told the court she believed Mr Burgess’ evidence and acquitted the former football player.
Former NRL forward George Burgess has been cleared of groping a woman he knew
Former St George Illawarra Dragons and South Sydney Rabbitohs forward has retired at the end of the 2022 season
Bryan Wrench represented the NRL star at the Downing Center Courthouse, while Burgess appeared via video link.
Earlier this year, Burgess told the court he was just being “cheeky and friendly” to the woman, but it was “nothing more than that.”
He was married at the time but told the court he intended to be intimate with the woman and admitted to being “flirty”, asking her to “stay and be naughty” with him.
During the first day of the hearing in October 2023, the woman told the court she felt “violated” when Burgess tried to kiss her moments after handing her the shirt.
She offered him a cup of tea to “try to calm the situation.”
“I opened the closet and he turned around (and) grabbed me by the bottom,” the woman told police in a body view played in court.
‘I froze inside and was just looking at the tea. He put a hand on either side of my body and pressed it against me. … I told him, ‘this is not going to happen.’
Burgess admitted to going to the woman’s house to drop off a T-shirt for a charity event.
Burgess admitted he intended to be intimate with the woman, but denied touching her.
The court was told Mr Burgess was asked if he was still married and he replied: “Yes, but you know what it’s like.”
Mr Burgess continued: “Come on, just five minutes, stay and be naughty with me.”
He denied kissing the woman or touching her bottom, but said he had put his hand on her back while she made him a cup of tea “to be friendly”.
“She walked over to the kitchen bench and I stood behind her to see what tea she was using because I like Yorkshire tea,” Burgess told the court in March.
The court was told the woman said: “I’m not that kind of girl, I wouldn’t do this to another woman.”
While sitting in the living room, Mr Burgess admitted saying to her: “We have known each other for 10 years, nothing has ever happened between us, but something should happen.”
Burgess and the woman had known each other for 10 years before the incident occurred.
Burgess admitted he was “gutted and shocked” after receiving a message from the woman following the incident.
In his testimony, Burgess admitted that he noticed the woman was “a little uncomfortable,” prompting him to leave.
When asked in court if the woman had been “rejecting” his advances from the moment he arrived, Burgess said “yes.”
The court was told Burgess sent the woman a “horny devil emoji” after leaving his house, which she ignored, but then sent her a message saying she was “really uncomfortable” with what happened.
“He said you put a big cloud over something so nice you did regarding the shirt and the fact that you had known each other for 10 years, he thought he could trust you in your own home,” police prosecutor Adrian said. Walsh. to Mr. Burgess during his testimony.
Mr Burgess told the court he was “gutted and shocked” by the message and responded by saying he was “very sorry” as he wanted to “calm down” the situation.
The prosecutor asked: “You were trying to soften him up so that he would protect your family and your career.”
“Yes,” replied Mr. Burgess.
The woman became emotional while giving evidence in October and told the court she was “petrified” during the interaction and wanted to get Mr Burgess out of her home.
She said she felt “uncomfortable” because Mr Burgess was a “six foot man”, weighed twice as much and had “invaded” her home.
Burgess, who played for the St George Illawarra Dragons in 2022, announced his retirement that year.
But he returned to win a premiership with the Cairns Brothers in the Cairns and District Rugby League competition last season before retiring again.
