Former Liberal MP Rory Amon has been found guilty of raping and indecently assaulting a 13-year-old boy inside a car park toilet after four hours of jury deliberations.
The 37-year-old faced a one-week NSW Supreme Court trial on one count each of sexual intercourse with a person aged between 10 and 14 and indecently assaulting a child.
The court heard the former member for Pittwater and Northern Beaches councillor connected with the teenager on an adult hookup app in 2017. They moved to the message-deleting app, Snapchat, where they exchanged messages and explicit photos.
Amon was working for then-federal MP for Mackellar Jason Falinski and campaigning for council preselection. He used a fake name on his online profile.
Once the pair agreed to meet up, the boy told his parents he was going for a run and arranged to meet Amon outside their apartment block, where he lived, the court was told.
They walked through a communal courtyard, to a downstairs carpark and into a toilet.
The court heard they began kissing before Amon placed the complainant’s hand on his own penis through his tracksuit pants. Amon then pulled down his own pants and underwear and caused the 13-year-old to perform oral sex.
The teenager’s case was that he believes he told Amon he was 15.
Amon did not dispute sexual activity occurred inside the toilet but had argued the boy told him he was 17.
The 12-person jury heard evidence over four days before retiring late on Thursday afternoon. They returned their verdicts on Friday after just four hours of deliberations.
This was the second trial Amon faced over the charges, after a first jury could not decide on verdicts earlier this year.
In the first trial, which began in February, the jury found Amon not guilty of eight other charges relating to the same teenager over an alleged second meeting between the pair. The Crown accepted the jury were not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that there was a second meeting during which sexual activity occurred.
The jury was deadlocked on two charges relating to the first meeting between Amon and the 13-year-old. Those were the two charges retried this week.
The second trial relied on pre-recorded evidence given by the complainant in the first trial.
He testified that at the time he connected with Amon online, he felt lonely and thought he would meet a romantic partner.
He said he did not entirely comprehend that sexual acts would take place when they met in person as he was “developmentally not ready”.
The jury were told the pair promptly parted ways and the boy told various people about what happened, including a teacher who made a mandatory report to police.
The court heard that in about 2020 or 2021, the complainant learnt of Amon’s identity when a photo of him circulated online. Before this, he’d known only of his Snapchat name.
In 2022, the then 18-year-old made a formal report to police. Amon was charged in 2024 and resigned from parliament after his arrest.
Amon was granted and remained on bail throughout his two trials and was not taken into custody following Friday’s verdicts.
Amon will next face the Supreme Court for a sentence hearing on November 27.
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732).
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