Kurtley Beale’s alleged sexual assault victim accused of lying in court as rugby star’s lawyer points out flaw in case

A woman who claims Wallabies star Kurtley Beale sexually assaulted her in a Bondi bar toilet stall has been accused by his lawyers in court of lying in her evidence.

Beale, 35, faces a jury trial at Sydney’s Downing Center Court after pleading not guilty to sexual intercourse without consent and two charges of sexual touching.

Police allege Mr Beale groped a woman’s buttocks at the Beach Road bar in Bondi on December 17, 2022, before forcing her to perform oral sex in a stall in the men’s toilet.

The 28-year-old was questioned under cross-examination by Mr Beale’s barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, over claims the former NSW Waratah had tried to kiss her.

When the woman was repeatedly asked where the alleged incident took place, she told Ms Cunneen, who claimed the incident had not happened and she could not say ‘specifically’.

“That’s because the kiss didn’t happen at all,” Ms. Cunnen said.

The woman replied, “I disagree. I was speaking in general.”

Ms Cunneen added: “You told a lie,” a claim the woman also disagreed with.

The court previously heard a phone call from the woman to Mr Beale almost a month after the alleged incident, which was recorded by police as part of their investigation.

In the phone call, the woman accused Mr Beale of the alleged assault, saying: ‘You took your cock out and you grabbed my head and you put your cock in my mouth.’

Mr Beale, who initially said he remembered seeing the woman ‘only briefly’, agreed they had made ‘claims’ in the bathroom but said the allegations were ‘non-issue’.

Asked if he remembered the woman saying ‘no, I don’t want to’, Mr Beale said he had ‘got around to it now’ and had ‘misjudged the whole scenario’.

“Maybe it’s my f**king blurred vision and just some kind of misunderstanding… Maybe I just didn’t read it right and honestly I just misread the whole scenario and the whole situation,” he said.

Later in the call, Mr Beale said: ‘(I) misjudged it completely and that’s my mistake and I have to live with it. I shouldn’t be making those decisions and hiring like that.”

He further added, “My wife f**king heard everything” and the “cloud” of his actions was hanging over my head, everything will probably be turned upside down now.”

Mr Beale apologized repeatedly during the conversation, stating he was embarrassed and ‘a bit scared’ and asking if the woman planned to ‘move on’.

The rugby star is on trial for alleged sexual abuse

“Would you mind telling me if you’re going to do anything else?” he asked. “I know you’re still processing, but moving forward…I don’t know.

“I just want to prevent things from moving forward, but (instead) deal with it in a civil way that protects us both.”

During the phone call, the woman further accused Mr. Beale of “grabbing my ass and stuff,” telling him, “I know you’re supposed to be a role model.”

Later in the phone conversation, she said, “It takes a part of you away. I can’t tell you how shitty it feels… You took away a part that wasn’t yours.”

The woman was later questioned under cross-examination for her description to police, as well as to her family and fiancé, that Mr Beale followed her into the bathroom.

CCTV footage played in court earlier this week showed Mr Beale entering the bathroom first after allegedly telling the woman he wanted to have sex with her.

Mr Beale’s barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC, asked the woman why she was not concerned about entering the bathroom after rejecting his alleged advances.

“Wouldn’t you be concerned if a man said, ‘I want to fuck you’ and it seemed like you agreed as you followed him into the men’s room,” Ms Cuneen said.

In response, the woman said, “If I had said no, I hoped the man would respect me saying no.”

The woman was also questioned about her and her partner’s state of mind before and after the alleged incident, with Ms Cunneen suggesting the pair had had an argument.

The woman indicated that she had an argument with her fiancé on the morning of the alleged incident, including over what dress she wanted to wear that day.

In her opening submission, Ms Cunneen told the jury the toilet act was ‘entirely consensual’ and there was no criminal touching involved.

The jury was previously told on Monday the woman’s account of the night, as well as the text messages she sent to her sister and fiancé the day after the alleged incident.

They were also shown CCTV footage from the bar on the night of the alleged attack, including the alleged victim following Mr Beale into the bathroom.

The video captured the approximately 4½ minutes the pair spent in the men’s room, during which police allege Mr. Beale forced the woman to perform oral sex.

The evidence will continue on Wednesday.