The alleged victim of Jordan De Goey wrote to the Victoria police in 2018 that she did not want to bring charges against the Collingwood striker.
Although the police were not required at the time to end their investigation based on the woman’s letter, they did so before resuming their investigation seven months ago.
The legal term for the alleged victim’s letter is “no complaint”.
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Foxfooty.com.au The submission of the letter, along with De Goey’s written apology, meant that AFL, Collingwood, and De Goey believed the matter had been resolved – until he was arrested on Saturday.
Ben Niall, De Goey’s manager at the time of the 2018 investigation, was asked to comment on Monday.
A “no complaint” statement is submitted if a suspected victim does not wish to indict. However, the prosecutor can continue to charge if it believes that this is in the public interest.
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A source familiar with the events of 2018 said that a “very thorough” investigation was being carried out and was unsure why the case surfaced two years later.
It is unclear whether the alleged victim had changed his mind or whether the authorities independently discovered new evidence that justified a formal charge.
The 24-year-old told Collingwood that he hadn’t been interviewed officially over the weekend. He will stand before Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 30, charged with sexual assault.
Foxfooty.com.au has confirmed that AFL will not hold De Goey back.
It is believed that the league will deal with situations related to suspected misconduct by players on a case-by-case basis. Conversely, the NRL has a strict no-fault policy for suspected offenses with a maximum sentence of 11 or more years.
However, AFL has the option to resume its investigation after De Goey’s lawsuit has been completed.
The league will not conduct an investigation simultaneously with a police investigation after charges have been brought.
The alleged victim has the option of submitting a second “no complaint” statement if the first remains in the file.
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The technical terminology surrounding De Goey’s indictment has caused some confusion.
When foxfooty.com.au The Victoria police released the story on Saturday afternoon and made a statement referring to “sexual assault” and “indecent assault”.
According to a legal expert contacted by foxfooty.com.authe terms can be used interchangeably and are now considered the same under the law. An indecent attack no longer exists as an indictment, but in May 2015, when the alleged incident occurred.
De Goey will stand in front of Melbourne Magistrates Court on October 30 and return to Collingwood’s senior team on Round 7 against Geelong.
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