A former New South Wales politician has gone on trial accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy, with the alleged victim telling a jury he was not developmentally ready for the encounter. Rory Amon, 36, who served as a state MP, has pleaded not guilty to ten charges including five counts of sexual intercourse with a child and two counts of attempted sexual intercourse with a child.
The alleged victim, now 22, gave evidence before the NSW Supreme Court on Monday, describing how he met Amon on a gay hook-up site and then communicated via Snapchat. Two meetings were allegedly arranged in a communal bathroom at a Sydney apartment complex in 2017, where the prosecution says rape and other sexual offences took place.
The young man told the jury he would not have fully understood the first meeting was for a sexual encounter. 'I was 13 – I didn't really have a script for this kind of experience,' he said. He added that he had felt anxiety and stomach pains afterwards, telling a friend in an Instagram message: 'I feel like I was exposed to all of this way too early and it's kind of hard to process.'
Under cross-examination by Amon's barrister, Matthew Johnston SC, the alleged victim rejected suggestions that he had told Amon he was 17. He admitted lying about his age to register on the over-18 website, but maintained he had presented himself as 15 to Amon. The defence also challenged the account of a second meeting, with Amon admitting to one encounter but denying a return visit. The alleged victim insisted two incidents occurred, saying, 'My memory serves me right… there were two incidents. The second occasion did not appear out of thin air.'
