Two NSW Police officers will face court charged with assaulting NRL star Tom Starling in a violent brawl at a Central Coast bar.
Starling himself was originally charged over the incident at the Shady Palms restaurant in Kincumber on December 5, 2020. Police alleged at the time that Starling reached for one of the officer’s guns during the confrontation.
CCTV played in court cleared Starling of wrongdoing. Credit: Nine News
Starling was eventually cleared of all charges after CCTV was played to a court showing the brawl, which also involved Starling’s brother Jackson and Josh and three police officers.
Starling was left bloodied after the brawl.
On Tuesday, two police officers were issued with court attendance notices for common assault, with police now alleging the officers were at fault.
A 49-year-old male officer was charged with common assault and a 37-year-old male officer was charged with two counts of common assault.
Their employment status is currently under review and they will face court in March.
Starling told Ben Fordham on 2GB he was experiencing “mixed emotions” and wished the charges had come sooner.
Tom Starling was left bloodied and bruised after the incident.
“I’d hate to see someone else go through what me and my family were put through. The emotional and financial pressure it puts on people, that’s why I’m speaking out so loudly about it,” he said.
“It’s quite an intimidating thing to come up against the police force with endless amounts of money and endless amounts of support for them.”
More to come.
