Lawyers are preparing a civil lawsuit against the former owner of the Australian National Basketball League’s most successful club after a woman came forward with new allegations of sexual assault against Australian sport’s worst sexual predator.
The woman has accused Bahamas-born former professional basketball player Kendal ‘Tiny’ Pinder of rape after the ex-Perth Wildcats star was convicted of a long list of shocking sex crimes.
The woman claims Pinder attacked her in Perth when she was just 15 years old.
Now that she sees the strength of the victims who have come forward, she wants justice for the alleged attack by the disgraced star.
Pinder, now 67, was a hero with the West Australian team when the former NBA and Harlem Globetrotters star arrived to clinch the first of the club’s record 10 championships.
However, he was sensationally arrested in 1990 when police handcuffed him in the locker rooms after a Wildcats semi-final.
Kendal ‘Tiny’ Pinder (right) claimed two NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats before being jailed for assault
Pinder was a hero to Wildcats fans in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but they had no idea of his shocking crimes against women
Club officials and players convinced the police to let him finish the game, so the officers waited until the final whistle to bring him in.
Pinder was allowed to play again and helped steer the club to another title in 1991, but his career with the Wildcats ended when he was found guilty of attempting to sexually assault a 17-year-old schoolgirl in his Perth unit.
He was jailed but shockingly given another chance by the Illawarra Hawks in 1995 before his basketball career ended for good.
Pinder has a history of sex convictions dating back to 1976, including previous convictions in Miami, Florida and Perth, with offenses in Australia from 1988 to 2011.
In 1992, he was convicted of attempting to sexually assault a 17-year-old schoolgirl.
Pinder was then convicted several months later of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman.
The following year he was convicted for a third time of raping a 16-year-old girl in his home after offering her a lift home from a bus stop.
He played for the Perth Wildcats throughout this period.
Bob Williams has admitted he was aware of complaints against Pinder during his tenure as owner of the Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats went bankrupt when Williams took over as owner, transforming the club until they moved to the larger Perth Entertainment Center (pictured) in 1990.
Perth businessman Bob Williams owned the Wildcats from 1986 until he sold the team to media mogul Kerry Stokes in 1990.
Stokes handed over the reins to Australian basketball legend Luc Longley during the 1999/2000 season and is not involved in any alleged misconduct.
Williams has previously admitted that he knew of the allegations against Pinder before his arrest and conviction in 1992.
“A father of a young woman visited me in my office on St George’s Terrace,” he told the West Australian Newspaper.
“I think she was just a teenager – maybe 12, 13, 14… and she told me Tiny had gotten involved with her.
“We thought we could set the rules – it was so important for him to be a member of the team – that he would toe the line.”
Shine Lawyers attorney Lisa Flynn, who is handling Sarah’s case as she pursues a civil claim against the Wildcats’ original private owner, suggests this admission could serve as evidence that Williams was aware of Pinder’s predatory behavior .
Mike Ellis (left) was the captain of the Perth Wildcats at the time and said the players had no idea Pinder was a sexual predator
Pinder was sensationally arrested during a semi-final in 1990, but was allowed to continue playing and would help the club win the 1991 championship (pictured)
The ABC has reported that the woman has now accused Pinder of ruining her life.
Now 51, she did not report the attack at the time out of fear, but has now come forward because her family cannot afford to pay for her ongoing care, including psychological support.
“He took away all the confidence I had,” she claimed.
“Before he attacked me, I was successful in school, good grades, I was successful in a few different sports – at the state level. And I loved my life…he just took it all away from me.
“I think it’s time to finally stand up for fifteen-year-old me.”
Williams has confirmed he has received a demand letter from Shine Lawyers, but declined to comment when contacted by the ABC.
Pinder pleaded guilty to two charges of assault and recklessly causing grievous bodily harm at a hearing in Sydney on April 26.
The first attack occurred in November 2009, involving forceful penetration without consent, resulting in serious injuries requiring surgery and a blood transfusion.
The second incident occurred in March 2021, when the victim woke up to Pinder attacking her.
Ellis set to return to coach the Perth Wildcats and says Pinder’s convictions cast a ‘black cloud’ over what should have been glory years for the club
Mike Ellis was the Wildcats captain in 1990 and he told Triple M in 2022 that the playing group had no idea their teammate was a sexual predator.
“You don’t always know what the players outside you and outside the team are doing,” he said.
“We knew he was on the road, he liked going to the clubs and all that stuff.
‘We just didn’t know what the sinister nature of it was and that was really sad.
‘When that really came out it really put a cloud over the club and that was really disappointing.’