Four top Australian Football League (AFL) players who were investigated in relation to an alleged sexual assault at a hotel in Melbourne earlier this year will not be charged, police have said.
After a “thorough investigation and based on legal advice” police would not proceed with criminal charges due to “insufficient evidence”, police said in a statement.
Four Sydney Swans players – Isaac Heeney, James Jordon, Chad Warner and Nick Blakey, who now plays for North Melbourne – had been suspended for the rest of the season over the incident in August.
The men previously denied wrongdoing but apologised for breaching club standards by inviting women back to the hotel after a game and drinking.
Australian media reported that three women, understood to be adult entertainers, had alleged inappropriate touching during the incident at the Pullman Hotel and are looking into civil action.
“Due to the ongoing civil matter, Victoria Police is unable to make further comment,” police said in a statement on Friday.
A fifth player, Riley Bice, who was also suspended by the club, had already been cleared by police.
A lawyer for one of the women said she was “devastated” by the police decision.
Jackson Pannam, of Slater and Gordon law firm, added that the move “does not amount to a finding that the incident our client reported did not occur, nor does it diminish the seriousness of what she says happened or its profound impact on her”.
John Karantzis from Carbone Lawyers, acting for the other two women, told the ABC his clients were “very disappointed and distressed”.
They would “vigorously pursue” a civil action, he said.
“My clients’ civil claim is based on a different burden of proof, it is based on the balance of probabilities,” he said.
Heeney welcomed the police announcement, saying the past three months had been “incredibly difficult for my family, [my fiancee] Steffie and those close to me”.
“To my family and friends, your love and loyalty has meant more than words can do justice,” he continued.
The Swans said in a statement that it had been “clear from the outset” that its decision to suspend the players was “separate from the police investigation, and it stands by that decision”.
“The Club has commenced a comprehensive examination of its AFL program and is committed to acting on the findings and implementing meaningful change to build an environment that players, staff, members, supporters and corporate partners can be proud of,” it said.
Swans CEO Matthew Pavlich told reporters it was “not a day for anyone to really celebrate” and “we’re still looking very hard at the programme and understanding where we need to get better”.
He said the club would be doing everything to “restore the standards that this club has held for a long period of time”.
In a separate statement the AFL acknowledged the police decision and said it reserved the right to investigate should any further relevant information come to light.
