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Footy star accused of assaulting a woman and smashing her phone is ‘upset’ by the allegations and denies any wrongdoing
- Cowboys star Luciano Leilua has been charged with domestic violence
- He has indicated through his lawyer that he will plead innocent
- The 26-year-old vehemently denies that he did anything wrong
- It is unclear whether he will be able to represent Samoa at the World Cup
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NRL star Luciano Leilua is ‘upset’ at being accused of a series of domestic violence on Monday, with his lawyer saying he ‘denies any wrongdoing’.
The 26-year-old North Queensland Cowboys player was arrested and charged with two domestic violence charges, accused of assaulting a 26-year-old woman known to him and allegedly breaking her phone.
NSW police confirmed they had been called to a house in Harrington Park, south-west Sydney, around 1 p.m. Monday after reports of a domestic violence incident.
Officers attended and arrested Leilua, who was then taken to Camden Police Station, where he was charged with ordinary assault (DV); damage or destroy property (DV).
Luciano Leilua, pictured with daughter Ida-Lynn, has been charged with domestic violence after an incident on Monday
He was released on bail on October 11 to appear at Campbelltown Local Court.
Leilua broke his silence on Tuesday through his attorney Elias Tabchouri, who said his client would plead innocent.
“I can confirm that Mr Leilua denies any allegation and will vigorously defend these matters,” Mr Tabcouri told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Mr Leilua has never been accused of violence in the past and is gutted by the charges leveled against him as he is against any kind of violence. It’s not in his nature.’
Luciano Leilua has played 110 NRL games during stints with the Dragons, Tigers and Cowboys
Mr Tabcouri also confirmed that there was no Arrest Warrant (AVO) in place preventing Leilua from living with his partner.
The second 114kg rower was set to represent Samoa at the Rugby League World Cup in England from October 15, but his place in the tournament has now been clouded.
He is ‘very excited’ to represent the small island country alongside NRL stars like Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton and Junior Paulo – but didn’t fly with the team as planned.
“At this stage it is unclear what the situation is. These matters are currently being decided,” said Mr Tabcouri on whether Leilua will put on the Samoan shirt during the World Cup.
“Mr. Leilua has voluntarily chosen not to fly out with his teammates as planned in order to take care of these matters.”
Luciano Leilu has been charged with two domestic violence offenses after an incident on Monday
The matter has also been brought to the attention of the NRL Integrity Unit which liaises with the Cowboys, an NRL spokesperson said.
The club also confirmed that it had been made aware of an alleged incident involving Leilua, which resulted in police charges.
“The club is collecting further information and assisting the NRL Integrity Unit and providing support to all parties involved,” a club statement said.
“Further comment will be made in due course.”
Luciano Leilua, pictured with daughter Ida-Lynn, vehemently denies allegations of domestic violence
It’s unclear whether the NRL will implement its controversial “no-fault stand-down” policy, which could be introduced automatically for charges that carry a minimum jail term of 11 years.
While Leilua’s case does not fall into that category, the NRL has previously fired players charged with domestic violence under the discretionary portion of the policy.