Latest news with #TeuiRobati
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- News.com.au
Former NRL player Teui ‘TC' Robati outside the Brisbane Supreme Court
Former NRL player Teui 'TC' Robati outside the Brisbane Supreme Court after he was found not guilty on two counts of rape.
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Ex-NRL player found not guilty of rape, pleads guilty to separate assault
Just minutes after a jury cleared him of two rape charges, Teui 'TC' Robati admitted to unlawfully and indecently assaulting another young woman during a night out in Brisbane. A jury found the former Brisbane Broncos player not guilty of raping a woman during a late-night encounter in a Fortitude Valley hotel toilet. The verdict was delivered in the Brisbane District Court on Wednesday afternoon following more than seven hours of deliberation across two days. The jury of seven women and five men had earlier indicated they were struggling to reach a consensus before ultimately finding Mr Robati, 24, not guilty on both counts of rape. Supporters of both Mr Robati and the complainant were present in court to hear the outcome. Mr Robati wiped away tears as the verdicts were handed down, with his mother also seen becoming emotional. Despite the serious allegations and the impact on his career, defence barrister David Funch told the court that Mr Robati remained optimistic about his future, including a hope to return to professional rugby league. The woman had alleged she was raped twice by Mr Robati inside a disabled toilet at The Prince Consort Hotel shortly after midnight on December 11, 2022. The court was told the alleged incident occurred after the 24-year-old woman had been out drinking with friends and met Mr Robati at the hotel. In prerecorded testimony, she said she followed him into a disabled toilet believing he was inviting her to do 'a line of cocaine.' Crown prosecutor Isabelle MacNicol said the door closed and 'almost immediately' he put his arms around her neck and started kissing her. Inside, Mr Robati allegedly told her to 'suck it', despite her saying she didn't want to have sex. 'She was scared, she started pacing. She covered her eyes, as she didn't want to look at the defendant's penis,' Ms MacNicol said. 'She said 'I don't want to do this, I don't know why I'm here.'' The woman said she felt 'pressured and compelled' and eventually performed oral sex without consent. 'After about 15 seconds, she started to gag feeling like she was going to vomit,' Ms MacNicol said. Witnesses said she appeared distressed and was 'crying' and 'seeking comfort' after the incident. Ms MacNicol said she told her friends immediately and was 'genuine' in her evidence. Mr Robati's defence barrister David Funch said no one knew 'what happened in that room'. 'She may well think that she's been raped, she may well believe that, but feelings aren't facts,' Mr Funch said. He said Mr Robati believed the act was consensual and added that 'poor behaviour doesn't make you a rapist.' Following the jury's verdict, the court was told Mr Robati would finalise another matter where he pleaded guilty to a separate charge of unlawful and indecent assault involving a different woman in December 2022. Ms MacNicol said that incident happened about 10 days after the hotel encounter, when Mr Robati, then 21, touched a 21-year-old woman on the neck, breast and waist over her clothing while she was out with her boyfriend and a friend. The victim pushed his hand away and a friend intervened, the court was told. Later that evening, security contacted her about what they had witnessed and a formal complaint was made to police. Mr Funch told the court Mr Robati had 'effectively lost everything' after being charged, including his contract with the Brisbane Broncos. He said Mr Robati grew up in disadvantaged circumstances in New Zealand, one of 15 people living under the same roof, with an absent father who was in and out of prison. Despite this, he was described as 'extremely well supported by his family'. The court was told Mr Robati moved to Australia in 2018 on a sporting scholarship, having played football since the age of five. He made 17 first-grade appearances across two seasons with the Broncos before the charges were laid. 'He's lost his employment,' Mr Funch said. Mr Funch said Mr Robati has been in talks with another NRL club, pending the resolution of his legal matters. He has since worked on the roads, packed food, and is now employed full-time at an auto parts business. Mr Funch said Mr Robati remained hopeful of returning to professional sport, and is currently volunteering as a coach for an A-grade team. 'He was enjoying fame and fortune … he had just turned 21 at the time of offending,' Mr Funch said. 'He was in quite a surreal position at such a young age.' Judge Paul Everson described it as 'low-level offending' but 'not trivial', and said Mr Robati's status as a young Broncos player out with teammates did not shield him from accountability. 'The defendant was a public figure … status does not shield you from accountability,' he said, calling the assault 'brazen' and 'creepy' and reflective of a sense of 'entitlement'. Judge Everson noted Mr Robati's age, his potential for rehabilitation, and his prospects of returning to a professional rugby league career. He was sentenced to two years probation under strict conditions. No conviction was recorded.
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Footy star TC Robati is found not guilty of rape before making shock move over a separate sexual assault
Former NRL player Teui 'TC' Robati has been found not guilty after standing trial accused of raping a woman at a pub. After the trial verdict was handed down on Wednesday, Robati pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a different woman in a separate incident. He remained in court for sentencing on that charge, which was not part of the trial, after being found not guilty of two rape counts. The ex-Brisbane Broncos second-rower, 23, had pleaded not guilty to raping a woman twice in the disabled toilet of a pub in the inner-Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley on December 11, 2022. The District Court jury had deliberated for a total of nine hours since Tuesday following a trial lasting a one-and-a-half days before Judge William Everson. Crown prosecutor Isabelle MacNicol earlier alleged Robati had lured a woman into a pub toilet promising access to an exclusive event before raping her. The jury deliberated for nine hours before handing down the verdict - after which Robati (pictured playing for Brisbane) pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman in a separate incident on December 21, 2022 Defence barrister David Funch previously told the jury it would not be an issue at the trial that his client was at the pub. 'It is accepted that sexual interaction occurred,' he said. Mr Funch said an important issue would be a 'mistake of fact'. 'In broad terms, if the person had an honest belief that the person was consenting and it was reasonable for them to hold that belief in all the circumstances, then they have a defence,' he said. 'Then they are not guilty of the charge.' The jury heard the prosecution would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Robati's defence of mistaken consent did not apply. The trial was moved to closed court for the jury to watch video evidence from the woman that was recorded in 2024. Robati pleaded guilty to unlawful and indecent assault, having been accused of groping a woman in Brisbane on December 21, 2022.
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Burst into tears': Jury shown CCTV in TC Robati rape trial
WARNING: Graphic details A woman who claims she was raped by former Brisbane Broncos player Teui 'TC' Robati has told a jury she felt pressured, intimidated and scared during a late-night encounter in a Fortitude Valley hotel toilet. Mr Robati, 24, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, with the trial concluding in Brisbane District Court on Tuesday after two days of evidence and closing arguments. The case is now in the hands of a jury of seven women and five men. The court was told the alleged incident happened shortly after midnight on December 11, 2022, after the 24-year-old woman had been out drinking with friends and met Mr Robati at The Prince Consort Hotel. In prerecorded testimony shown to the jury, she said she believed he was inviting her upstairs to do 'a line of cocaine' and followed him into a disabled toilet. Crown prosecutor Isabelle MacNicol said after closing the door, Mr Robati 'almost immediately' put his arms around the woman's neck and started kissing her. Inside the cubicle, Mr Robati allegedly pulled his pants down, sat down on the toilet and told the woman to 'suck it' despite her saying she didn't want to have sex. 'She was scared, she started pacing. She covered her eyes, as she didn't want to look at the defendant's penis,' Ms MacNicol told the court. 'She said 'I don't want to do this, I don't know why I'm here'.' Ms MacNicol said Mr Robati kept asking 'over and over again' until the woman felt she had no choice but to give in. 'Just because someone doesn't fight doesn't mean that they have consented,' she said. 'There was no consent.' 'She felt intimidated and froze.' The woman told the court that she felt 'pressured and compelled' and eventually performed oral sex on Mr Robati without her consent. She said she momentarily stopped, but he then forced her head down again. 'After about 15 seconds, she started to gag, feeling like she was going to vomit,' Ms MacNicol said. The court was told that Mr Robati allegedly began to laugh at her. The woman said she then told him that she needed to go to the toilet, got dressed and left. CCTV footage shown to the jury captured the woman appearing distressed about 12.20am, approaching a stranger in the hallway who hugged her. Witnesses later testified they found her visibly upset and recounted what she told them had allegedly happened in the bathroom. 'She burst into tears, struggle(d) to speak,' Ms MacNicol said, describing it as an 'emotional fallout'. The court was told the woman told her friends about the incident immediately. 'She didn't sit on this, she didn't hide it … she was being transparent,' Ms MacNicol said. She said her emotion was 'genuine' when giving evidence. Ms MacNicol added that Mr Robati's size, the small toilet cubicle and the repeated asking meant it was not consensual. She said following him into the bathroom did not equate to consent and described his actions as 'intimidation'. During his closing address, Mr Robati's defence barrister David Funch said that no one knew 'what happened in that room'. 'This young man's life is in your hands,' he told the jury. 'She may well think that she's been raped, she may well believe that, but feelings aren't facts. 'There's two sides to every story.' He said the woman followed Mr Robati into the toilet and ultimately left on her own. He said there was no evidence that Mr Robati had cocaine, offered cocaine or mentioned cocaine during the interaction, and the woman's belief they were going upstairs for drugs was unfounded. He focused on the word 'forced', noting the complainant testified that she felt that way because of past trauma and Mr Robati's size. 'That's got nothing to do with Mr Robati,' Mr Funch said. 'That's not his fault. 'There was no suggestion that she could not have walked out of that toilet at any time,' he said. He conceded that Mr Robati displayed 'poor behaviour' that night, but 'poor behaviour doesn't make you a rapist.' Mr Funch said Mr Robati asked if the woman wanted to perform the act and believed she had consented even if in her own mind she hadn't. 'She might have felt that way and that's a matter for her and that's not his fault,' he said. Mr Funch told the jury to consider the context of the second alleged act, where the woman claimed Mr Robati pushed her head down again. He said Mr Robati believed the entire encounter was consensual. 'She stopped performing oral sex on him when she chose to, that's her evidence,' Mr Funch said. 'When she chose for it to end, it ended.' Mr Robati was stood down by the Brisbane Broncos in February 2023, just weeks before the start of the NRL season, after the allegations became public. He has not played in the NRL since.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Footy star Teui Robati lured woman into pub toilet by making her a promise before allegedly raping her, court hears
Former NRL player Teui 'TC' Robati lured a woman into a pub toilet promising access to an exclusive event before raping her, a jury has been told. Robati, 23, has pleaded not guilty to raping the woman twice on December 11, 2022. The ex-Brisbane Broncos second-rower, wearing a white collared shirt, stood before the jurors and entered his pleas in Queensland 's District Court on Monday. Crown prosecutor Isabelle MacNicol told the jury a 24-year-old woman had attended a pub at the inner-Brisbane suburb of Fortitude Valley to celebrate a friend's birthday. 'The young woman found herself alone in a locked bathroom with a man she didn't know, who was bigger and stronger than her, a man who pressured her into two sexual acts,' Ms MacNicol said. 'That man was Teui Robati, who at the time was associated with the Brisbane Broncos.' A jury was told that Robati (pictured) lured a woman into a pub toilet by promising her access to an exclusive event before raping her Robati was axed by the Brisbane Broncos in February 2023, before the NRL season started. Ms MacNicol said earlier in the night the woman and her group of friends recognised another Broncos player and started speaking with him. Robati, aged 21 at the time, came over to introduce himself. '(Robati) invited her to an upstairs event. She thought it was exclusive, that she might get free drinks,' Ms MacNicol said. The woman was led upstairs at the pub and into a disabled bathroom. 'There was no mention of the event again. She thought Robati had taken her into the bathroom to offer a line of cocaine,' Ms MacNicol said. 'They went in, the door closed. He put her arm around her neck and started kissing her.' Ms MacNicol said Robati then exposed himself and demanded the woman perform a sex act. The woman responded 'I don't want to have sex with you,' Ms McNicol told the jury. The jury heard Robati allegedly verbally and physically forced the woman into two sex acts in a brief period of time. 'You will hear she felt pressured ... you will hear she felt she could not get away,' Ms McNicol said. 'You will hear from her friends that she was crying afterwards, panicking.' Robati's defence barrister David Funch told the jury it would not be an issue at the trial that his client was at the pub. 'It is accepted that sexual interaction occurred,' he said. Mr Funch said an important issue would be a 'mistake of fact'. 'In broad terms, if the person had an honest belief that the person was consenting and it was reasonable for them to hold that belief in all the circumstances, then they have a defence,' he said. 'Then they are not guilty of the charge.' The jury heard the prosecution would have to prove to them beyond reasonable doubt that Robati's defence of mistaken consent did not apply. The trial then moved to closed court for the jury to watch video evidence from the alleged victim that was recorded in 2024.
