Ex-MP recalls exchanging ‘nude’ photos with teenager as he takes the stand to fight allegations he sexually abused a 13-year-old boy

WARNING: Disturbing content.

A former Liberal MP has recalled exchanging “nude” photos with a teenage boy as he battles allegations that he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old boy.

During his trial in the NSW Supreme Court, Roderick “Rory” Amon took the witness stand to testify about allegations that he sexually assaulted a teenage boy in the underground car park of the apartment complex where he lived with his family in 2017.

The former Northern Beaches councilor told the jury he and the teenager shared “nude photos” on social media app Snapchat shortly after meeting on a gay dating site.

“As far as I remember, there was no face in the nude photos, nude photos were shared,” Mr. Amon said.

He did not remember taking any images of the complainant’s face, but vaguely remembered the photo exchange in which their faces were obscured by hand gestures. Mr Amon also agreed with claims by his barrister, Matthew Johnston SC, that the boy had sent him sexually explicit photographs.

The key issue in the case is whether Mr. Amon truly believed the child was at least 16 years old; The former city councilman did not dispute that they met on a gay dating site and engaged in sexual activity in 2017.

On Friday, Mr. Amon claimed that the boy told him he was 17 years old.

Mr Amon told the jury: “At one point the question of age or age was asked; I don’t remember by whom, but I remember you telling me you were 17.”

When asked if this was a problem for him, he replied “no.”

“No, the problem for me was that they were under 16,” Mr. Amon said.

He was also asked whether they had talked about the complainant going to school.

“I don’t remember specifically, but I assumed a 17-year-old was in school, so I assumed he was in Grade 11 or 12 since he was 17,” he said.

He told the jury he would have “cut off contact” if he had been told the child was under 16.

“Because if you are under 16, you cannot engage in sexual activity,” Mr. Amon said.

He said there was nothing in his conversations with the complainant (including video exchanges) that led him to doubt that the child’s age was other than 17.

This followed earlier evidence from the complainant, now 22, who told the jury she was “sure” she had not told Mr Amon she was 17 and claimed “it wasn’t really possible”.

The complainant also says she told Mr. Amon she was 15, but never told him her actual age was 13.

Mr Amon also claimed he would have told the boy his real age was 27 when he gave evidence on Friday, just days after the complainant said she was “sure” Mr Amon’s dating profile did not indicate she was 27.

Prosecutors allege that Mr. Amon instructed the boy to perform oral sex on him in a parking lot bathroom late one evening in 2017, and during a second encounter in the same bathroom, he performed oral sex on the boy and asked her to try having sex with him.

The jury had previously heard that the sex did not last long and that Mr Amon allegedly asked the boy to masturbate while he masturbated.

The former councilor pleaded not guilty to 10 historic child sex offenses and maintained his innocence.

Their evidence at the NSW Supreme Court hearing will continue on Monday.

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