Sydney man’s alleged sex acts with underage girls

A promising young rugby player is alleged to have engaged in sexual acts with two underage girls, a jury has been told. Connor Lind, 23 is standing trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court where he has pleaded not guilty to a string of alleged sexual offences against two teenage girls. The Crown prosecution has alleged he engaged in anal, oral and digital sex with one girl, who was 14 at the time, the court was told on day one of his trial on Wednesday. He has also denied putting his hand down the pants of the same girl while on the couch at his parents’ house on Sydney’s northern beaches Crown prosecutor Peter Lowe told the court that allegation was supported by a witness who saw the incident and immediately texted her mother. The girl was in between grades eight and nine at the time of the alleged offences, the court was told. The jury was on Wednesday afternoon shown a portion of the girl’s initial interview with police in which she at times became tearful. Mr Lind, through his barrister Lisa-Claire Hutchinson, has denied having any sexual contact with any of the girls. He pleaded not guilty to four counts of having sexual intercourse with a child and one count of intentionally sexually touching a child. One of the sexual intercourse counts relates to a second complainant, who was 15 years old at the time. The court was told the charge relates to an allegation he kissed the girl before putting his hand down her pants while they were sitting in his car at Dee Why beach. “It all happened so fast, he just started kissing her,” Mr Lowe told the jury during his opening address on Wednesday. The girl was “too scared” to try and stop him during the incident, Mr Lowe said. Mr Lind was arrested at Sutherland Police Station in August 2021 and Mr Lind does not deny knowing that the girls were 14 and 15 at the time. However, Ms Hutchinson argued that at the time Mr Lind was a promising rugby union player and university student and he had “every reason to uphold the law”. He denied engaging in any sexual acts with the either of alleged victims, the court was told. Ms Hutchinson told the jury that the evidence of one of the girls – who he is alleged to have engaged in four sexual acts with – “lacked a ring of truth”. He also denied kissing or touching the 15-year-old girl. “He never kissed her, he never touched her, not that night, not ever,” she said. The trial before Judge John Pickering continues on Thursday.