ACT: Former cricketer took boy shopping after sex assault: court

AAP General News (Australia)
04-21-2009
ACT: Former cricketer took boy shopping after sex assault: court

By Bonny Symons-Brown

CANBERRA, April 21 AAP - A former Queensland cricketer accused of sexually assaulting
a teenage boy during a private coaching session took the youth shopping afterwards, a
court has been told.

Ian Harold King, 65, has pleaded not guilty to 41 charges relating to the sexual assault
of 10 different boys between January 1989 and May 1998 while he was a junior cricket coach
in Canberra.

At his committal hearing in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday, one of King's alleged
victims said the pair first met in June or July 1993, when he was 16.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was then part of a pre-season cricket
training camp conducted by King.

After a couple of months of group training sessions with between 20 and 30 other boys,
the man said he then accepted King's offer of one-on-one coaching.

"I was very keen to progress my cricket at that point," the now 31-year-old told the court.

He said the meetings would usually begin at King's house where they would discuss what
kind of training would take place before heading to one of the local ovals to practise.

After the coaching sessions, the two would often return to King's house for a shower
or something to eat. The man said he was sexually assaulted on at least two occasions.

"I had a shower, after the shower I can't say exactly how it happened but it ended
up with myself naked on the bed and Ian being there as well," the man said.

The incidents would begin with a light massage, he said, and would progress to King
performing oral sex on him.

After one incident, the man said King took him clothes shopping and bought him a new
shirt and pair of pants.

It was after hearing through the media that King had been arrested for committing an
indecent act against a child that he decided to come forward with his information, he
said.

King was extradited to the ACT from South Australia last July to face the charges,
which now include sexual intercourse without consent and sexual intercourse with a young
person.

"After hearing on the ABC national news that Mr King had been arrested I called the
police and said I'd like to add something to that," he said.

The man's evidence followed that of another alleged victim who said he was molested
by King at his southern Canberra home between December 1, 1992 and January 31, 1993 during
private cricket coaching.

The man, who also cannot be named, said that during a discussion about his batting
technique King began asking him explicit questions before putting his hand down the boy's
tracksuit pants and touching his genitals.

The man, who was then 14 or 15, said he was home alone at the time of the alleged assault
but that it started in his laundry where his neighbours could have seen.

"The defendant, his hands had been under my clothing for about 20 seconds from that
point in time so he suggested we move because we didn't want anyone to see this," the
man said.

King then allegedly took the boy further inside the home and continued to touch him
for another two to five minutes before saying: "See, you are enjoying this aren't you?"

The former fast bowler, who played for Queensland from 1969 to 1970, sat hunched in
his chair with his head bowed as both men gave evidence.

King began his playing career in Sydney before returning to his home state of Queensland
to become their first Aboriginal player since Eddie Gilbert in the 1930s, according to
the Cricinfo website.

The hearing continues before Magistrate John Burns.

AAP bsb/kms/tnf/mn

KEYWORD: KING WRAP

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