Law firm Slater and Gordon has been hired to represent a woman who was present with five Sydney Swans players in a Melbourne hotel room where a sexual assault allegedly took place.
The firm is investigating a potential civil claim on behalf of the woman, according to lawyer Jackson Pannam.
“Our client has had her entire world turned upside down and is now trying to navigate an incredibly traumatic experience,” Pannam said in a statement on Saturday.
He said his client was the woman who contacted Victoria Police on Monday.
“At Slater and Gordon, we see the profound and long-lasting impact that serious injury, loss and abuse can have on people’s lives,” Pannam said.
“Everyone deserves to be safe going about their life, at home, at work, and in public spaces without risk of being assaulted or harmed … We’re standing with our client to give her support at this difficult time, and to help her get the justice she deserves.”
Five Swans players were stood down for the rest of the season for breaching the club’s standards.
A separate Victoria Police investigation into an alleged sexual assault at the Pullman Hotel in East Melbourne in the early hours of Monday morning is ongoing.
This masthead is not suggesting that the players are guilty, only that an allegation has been made and is the subject of an ongoing inquiry.
“Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad continue to investigate a report of a sexual assault in East Melbourne on 17 August,” a police spokesperson said on Saturday.
“The exact circumstances of the matter are still being established and a number of people have been spoken to. As the investigation remains active and ongoing, we will not be commenting further including providing information on the specific circumstances of the matter, movements of detectives and any statements or interviews taken.”
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