Former MP not guilty of most child rape charges, deadlock on others

Former Liberal MP Rory Amon has been found not guilty of most charges relating to the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy in a car park toilet in Sydney’s northern beaches, but could face a retrial on two charges over which a jury was deadlocked.

The 36-year-old fought 10 child sexual abuse charges, including sexual intercourse, indecent assault and attempted sexual intercourse. They relate to two separate alleged incidents in June and July 2017.

After three days of deliberating, a NSW Supreme Court jury on Monday found Amon not guilty of eight counts and declared a hung verdict on the remaining two counts, meaning they were at a deadlock. The Director of Public Prosecutions may choose to prosecute Amon with a retrial on the hung counts.

Amon closed his eyes momentarily as he heard the verdicts, but otherwise stood emotionless. He did not speak with media as he left the courthouse.

Last week, the jury indicated to the judge that they were struggling to reach verdicts on all counts. At 2.30pm they ruled that they could only reach a decision on eight of the charges – being not guilty verdicts.

The former member for Pittwater and Northern Beaches councillor had accepted the pair met once and had sex but denied a second meeting took place, and maintained he believed the complainant was at least 17. To find Amon guilty, the jury had to be satisfied he had honest and reasonable grounds to believe the child was under 16.

The pair met on an adult dating app in mid-2017 when Amon was working for then-federal MP for Mackellar Jason Falinski and campaigning for council pre-selection. He used a fake name on his profile.

The complainant testified he felt lonely and thought he would meet a romantic partner on the app but did not entirely comprehend that sexual acts would take place as he was “developmentally not ready”.

He said he believed he initially told Amon he was 17, and later that he was 15 because this was the age he believed he could “get away with” looking like. He also said Amon told him he was 17, which Amon denied, arguing he accurately listed his age on his profile as 27.

Amon had also argued the boy told him he was 17, not 15, and that Amon at all times believed that the teenager was 17.

The pair moved their conversation from the dating app to Snapchat, where they exchanged videos and messages. During these exchanges, the court heard they discussed the complainant’s high school before agreeing to meet outside the teenager’s northern beaches home.

In her closing submissions, Crown prosecutor Meaghan Fleeton argued that upon seeing the complainant under street lights it “would have been obvious” he was under 16. She noted photos of him at the time showed it was “utterly implausible” Amon could have mistaken him for anything but a child.

During the first meet-up, the pair walked to a toilet in a dimly lit corridor in a communal garage where the alleged sexual offences took place. The complainant testified that when he told Amon he didn’t have any sexual experience, Amon replied: “Good.”

The prosecution argued this was evidence Amon should have used to inform his understanding about the boy’s age. “This is not some regular user of a gay hook-up app,” Fleeton told the court.

The Crown alleged the ex-MP assaulted the boy multiple times inside the toilet by putting his hands on the teen’s genitals and directing him to perform oral sex. The two counts which the jury could not reach a decision on – sexual intercourse with a child aged between 10 and 14 and indecent assault with a person under 16 – related to this occasion.

The complainant testified that a second meeting occurred approximately two weeks later, during which Amon was accused of committing further sex offences. Amon argued a second meeting never took place.

During this incident, Amon was accused of performing oral sex on the boy and attempting to have sex with him. The eight counts which Amon was found not guilty of relate to this occasion.

The man testified that he felt “repulsed” during this second encounter and eventually blocked Amon on Snapchat because he “knew it was so gross and didn’t want to do it again”.

In closing submissions, the former MP’s lawyer, Matthew Johnston, SC, argued that 17, the age Amon claimed to believe the boy was, was “a long way” from a person under 16.

Johnston argued Amon would have assumed anyone he met on the dating app, either Grindr or Squirt, was an adult because of the app’s age requirements, and that there was “no misunderstanding” those on the app were there to meet adult men for sex.

“This is not a case that we sometimes hear in the news or read about where there is an adult who’s on a chat room that’s frequented by 13-year-olds, and he’s tricking them into a meeting,” he said.

The defence also argued Amon used a pseudonym to “preserve [his] anonymity” and keep his sex life private while beginning a political career.

The complainant said the abuse caused crippling depression, anxiety-induced stomach pains, and a drop in grades.

“I just felt very detached from reality,” he told the court.

He confided in a teacher and a psychologist in 2017 but did not provide details to the police. He identified Amon in 2020 after seeing his photo on a council media release and formally reported the matter in June 2022, shortly after turning 18.

Amon was first spoken to by police in March 2024 and arrested three months later.

He had been on bail since his arrest and remains on bail on the remaining two charges. He will face court on a later date.

Anyone needing support can contact 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732), National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028, Lifeline 13 11 14, Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.

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