Former NSW MP Rory Amon tells court 13-year-old boy said he was 17 before alleged sexual abuse | New South Wales
A former Liberal state MP accused of having sex with a 13-year-old boy in a car park toilet has claimed in court that the boy told him he was 17.
Rory Amon, 36, began his testimony at his trial in the New South Wales supreme court after pleading guilty to 10 charges of various sexual acts against the young teenager in 2017.
The jury heard that Amon contacted the teenager on Grindr and Snapchat and shared suggestive photos, including of his erect penis.
However, the former politician denied knowing that the child was only 13 when they interacted.
“He was asked about his age… I remember him saying he was 17,” Amon said in court Friday.
“This was a problem for me [if they were] “Under 16,” he said.
The complainant had previously testified that she told Amon she was only 15, but the former politician denied that was the case.
Amon’s barrister, Matthew Johnston SC, repeatedly asked his client whether photos or messages he had shared with the boy gave any indication that he was younger than he claimed.
“No… I would cut off communication,” Amon said.
The 36-year-old expressed initial guilt and shame for using Grindr while struggling with his sexuality.
“I guess I wasn’t out sexually until now,” he said.
When the complainant was contacted, Amon was ready for a political career.
At the time, Mackellar was working full-time for federal MP Jason Falinski and was running a pre-selection campaign for the upcoming council elections.
He would serve two terms on the Northern Beaches council before being elected Liberal MP for Pittwater in 2023.
Amon allegedly met the boy twice in June and July 2017 after talking on Snapchat.
The prosecutor had previously told the court that the sexual activity took place in a shared bathroom connected to the parking lot in the building where the child lived.
The man, now 22, told the court he was excited and giddy to meet Amon and thought it was a precursor to something romantic.
At the first meeting, the old man wore gray tracksuit pants, a white Adidas hoodie and ugg boots.
The jury was told he flushed the toilet after taking the teenager to the bathroom and commented on the smell before sitting on the floor.
The former MP is accused of then placing the child’s hand on his genitals and directing the child to have sexual intercourse with him.
In the second incident, which Amon denied took place, the prosecutor said that the sexual assaults took place while the two were standing and then lying on the towel Amon had brought.
He allegedly attempted to have sexual intercourse with the teenager before telling him to perform another sexual act.
The complainant told her teacher, psychiatrist, parents and friends about the alleged incident in 2017.
Amon will continue testifying on Monday.
