Shellharbour Sharks rugby league player Callan Sinclair will front court in February alongside his friend, star Dragons forward Jack De Belin, amid accusations the two men were involved in the joint sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman inside a Wollongong unit.
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De Belin, 27, who has played eight seasons since signing with the St George Illawarra side in 2011, was arrested last Friday and charged with aggravated sexual assault in company after the woman made a statement to police claiming she was molested at the hands of De Belin and Sinclair in the early hours of Sunday, December 9.
Sinclair, 21, was arrested at a home in Shell Cove on Monday morning, before being taken to Wollongong Police Station and questioned by detectives.
He was charged with aggravated sexual assault in company and, like De Belin, was released on conditional bail.
The incident that prompted the charges is alleged to have taken place about 1.30am – just hours after De Belin and Sinclair were pictured together with friends on Instagram dressed in Christmas attire for the region’s annual Santa Pub Crawl.
The Mercury understands police will allege the woman met De Belin and Sinclair at an establishment on Crown Street, before the trio allegedly left in a cab and drove to an apartment block.
There, it is alleged the two men told the woman they needed to get changed. It is understood the woman claims she went upstairs in the apartment and used the bathroom.
It is alleged she was sexually assaulted when she returned from the bathroom to find the two players naked.
She later sought medical treatment at a hospital in Wollongong.
In the wake of charges being laid against De Belin, the Dragons issued a statement saying they were taking the matter "very seriously" and working with De Belin and police.
"Jack has been provided with welfare support to enable him the time and opportunity to deal with the matter,” they said.
Both men are due to appear in court on February 12.