Cricket Australia’s former head of communications fronted the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday after being charged with two counts of sexual assault.
Timothy Whittaker, 37, was a long serving executive at Cricket Australia and now faces possible jail time if convicted of the two separate charges.
Whittaker was a senior official who travelled to Cape Town following the ball tampering incident in 2018, and was aware of the Integrity Unit investigation into captain Tim Paine.
One charge involves a male colleague while the other charge relates to a different male cricket employee, according to the Herald Sun.
The charges reportedly relate to an incident from 2016 involving a young male cricket worker, employed at Cricket Victoria, with the other charge relating to an alleged assault of a young Cricket Australia employee from 2019.
Mark Sturges, Whittaker’s lawyer, said his client would contest both charges and plead not guilty. The matter will return to the court for a seven-day hearing in May, 2023.
The alleged incident from 2019 is reported to have taken place at Whittaker’s residence following a night out.
After inviting people back to his residence, the alleged victim fell asleep on the couch and “woke up to Whittaker feeling his penis and giving him a hand job”.
The incident was reported to police and after charges were brought forward, a second male came forward with a complaint.
The alleged incident from 2016 also occurred at Whittaker’s residence with the alleged victim falling asleep and waking to “to the feeling of movement in his underpants and a hand stroking his penis.”
The second man to come forward spoke with Cricket Australia in October before making a statement to police.
Whittaker was not working in a position of authority above either man. If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
