Former NSW Liberal MP told alleged child sex victim he was 17, prosecutors claim

Warning: Graphic Content

Former NSW Liberal MP Rory Amon allegedly pretended he was 17 when he met up with a 13-year-old boy and sexually assaulted him, according to court documents.

Amon has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges relating to two alleged incidents in 2017, when he was a Northern Beaches councillor. The 35-year-old was elected to the seat of Pittwater in 2023 but quit NSW parliament in August last year, hours after being charged.

Prosecutors allege Amon and the boy first met on the “gay hook-up website Squirt.org”, before the conversation moved to Snapchat “so that the accused would feel more comfortable sending text and images”, according to documents tendered to Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday.

The teenager allegedly “took steps to remain anonymous” on the website and lied about his age to establish a profile, as underage people were prohibited. The Crown claims he told Amon he was 15.

“The complainant initially thought that the accused was in his early to mid-20s, but believes that he was later told by the accused that he was 17 years old,” prosecutors allege.

Amon was 27 or 28 at the time. The Crown alleges Amon “knew that the complainant was a child under the age of 16 years when he committed these offences”.

The pair allegedly exchanged explicit images and videos before meeting at the teenager’s address, as the complainant “did not want to go to a stranger’s house”. The boy was allegedly “scared” of Amon’s “insistence that they go somewhere discreet”.

During the first alleged incident, in a shared carpark bathroom in the apartment complex, prosecutors claim Amon asked “have you ever done anything like this before?” to which the teenager replied “no” and Amon allegedly said “good”. He then allegedly kissed the complainant before engaging in oral sex.

When it was over, Amon allegedly said: “Wait a minute after I leave, just to make sure.”

Amon allegedly brought a towel to the second incident to lay on the bathroom floor “so it would be more comfortable for them”. After one of the sexual acts, the complainant “began to feel overwhelmed and repulsed”, the documents allege.

Amon is accused of contacting the complainant to meet up again, but prosecutors say the teenager “gave the excuse that he was moving away, and then blocked him on Snapchat”.

Sometime in 2019 or 2020, the complainant re-added Amon and initiated contact “as a way of attempting to resolve the incidents as ‘not a big deal’ in his own mind”, prosecutors claim. The pair allegedly flirted and shared naked images.

“During this contact, the accused told the complainant he was in his 30s and employed as a lawyer,” the Crown alleges.

The complainant reported the matter to police in June 2022. The next month, Amon allegedly contacted the complainant on Grindr from an account with the username “Yeeee” and sent sexual messages including naked photographs.

Amon declined to be interviewed when police first spoke to him in March 2024, five months before his arrest.

The documents detailing the allegations against Amon arose from a failed bail variation application on Wednesday to change his address, after signing a lease for an inner-city property in January.

Amon’s solicitor Lauren MacDougall, in an affidavit, said her client was “well known in the northern beaches area because of his political career”.

MacDougall said “immediately” after Amon was charged, his social media accounts “received numerous abusive and threatening comments, including death threats”, and his home was broadcast on national TV. She said Amon “does not feel safe or comfortable” in the area, and has social connections in and around the city, where he can live “in a more anonymous way”.

However, Judge David Scully refused to grant the variation, noting the complainant had labelled the potential move as “personally catastrophic” and raised concerns for his safety due to his own ties to the area.

Amon has pleaded not guilty to five counts of having sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 and 14, two counts of indecent assault of a person under 16, two counts of attempted sexual intercourse with a child between the ages of 10 and 14, and committing an act of indecency with a person under 16.

In a statement after his arrest, Amon said: “The nature of the charges against me are such that I will be unable to continue to fully represent my community in parliament. As a result, I have tendered my resignation as the Member for Pittwater, effective immediately.”

Amon has been committed to stand trial in the NSW District Court. He is due to be arraigned on Friday, when a future trial date is expected to be set.

With AAP

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