Source : ABC NEWS
A lawyer representing a third woman involved in the Sydney Swans sexual assault scandal says a potential civil lawsuit is being looked at.
Slater and Gordon senior lawyer, Jackson Pannam, has been engaged to represent a woman who he said contacted police immediately following the alleged assault at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne in the early hours of Monday, August 17.
“Our client has had her entire world turned upside down and is now trying to navigate an incredibly traumatic experience,” he said.
He said the firm’s lawyers “see the profound and long-lasting impact that serious injury, loss and abuse can have on people’s lives”.
Jackson Pannam says the woman’s world has been “turned upside down” by the incident. (ABC News)
On Friday, Carbone Lawyers announced separately that it was representing two women, believed to be adult entertainers involved in the incident, and looking into launching a civil claim.
Several adult entertainers are understood to have joined players at the Pullman Hotel after being hired in the hours after the Swans’ victory against Essendon last Sunday night.
Five players — Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Chad Warner, Riley Bice and James Jordon — have been stood down by the Swans for breaching the club’s standards on drinking and staying out late following last Sunday’s win over Essendon in Melbourne.
Mr Pannam said following her initial contact with police, his client was continuing to speak to them as part of their investigation into the incident.
“Everyone deserves to be safe going about their life, at home, at work, and in public spaces without risk of being assaulted or harmed,” Mr Pannam said.
“We’re standing with our client to give her support at this difficult time, and to help her get the justice she deserves.”
Mr Pannam described the woman as “extremely distressed” by what had occurred, and asked for her privacy, and that of the other women involved, to be respected.
He said his client had not spoken to the media.
A police investigation is still underway, but they have not made any arrests or laid charges.
