oh no
Sports journalist Paul Kent charged with third domestic violence offence
Rugby league journalist Paul Kent has been charged with another domestic violence offence, six months after he pleaded not guilty to assaulting a 33-year-old woman.
Kent’s News Corp bosses temporarily stood down the 53-year-old from his roles as host of Fox Sports show
NRL 360 and a senior writer for
The Daily Telegraph after
he was charged with one count of common assault and one count of intentionally choking a person without consent in May.
Paul Kent has been charged with a third domestic violence offence.Credit: Brook Mitchell
Court documents reveal Kent has been charged with a third domestic violence offence of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Kent is preparing to fight the charges and has pleaded not guilty to all three counts. He will face a hearing at Downing Centre Local Court next month.
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In a statement following Kent’s arrest, NSW Police said officers were called to his Lilyfield home after reports of a domestic dispute on Friday, May 12.
He was taken to Surry Hills police station and charged before being released on bail.
The 33-year-old woman was arrested and taken to Newtown police station before being released without charge.
Outside court in May, an emotional Kent said he could not discuss specifics of the case but looked forward to his side coming out at the hearing.
“I’m embarrassed about it, but unfortunately, it’s beyond my control, so I’ll just let the court process see its way through now,” Kent said.
“It’s the rugby league soap opera, it’s the way it rolls. It’s my day to be a storyline right now.”
Sonny Bill Williams was one former player to comment on the charges.Credit: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
The charges against Kent were addressed in only the briefest terms on
NRL 360 when it first went to air following Kent’s arrest.
Prominent names in rugby league weighed in at the time the first charges were laid.
Bulldogs and Roosters great Sonny Bill Williams said Kent “never shone away from pointing the finger” at players and questioned their morals when they made mistakes.
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“Someone who has always held the players accountable for their actions off the field needs to be held to account for his also,” Williams tweeted.
Roosters and Cronulla Sharks premiership winner James Maloney said assaulting women was “the lowest of the low”.
“I hope he is treated exactly as a player would be. His job makes him a public figure in the game so there’s no difference,” Maloney tweeted.