Former NRL star Curtis Scott’s big play against assault conviction

Former NRL star Curtis Scott has launched an appeal after he was found guilty of assaulting and threatening his ex-partner.

Scott was last year convicted by Magistrate Daniel Covington and sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order.

On Friday, the matter returned to Sydney’s Downing Centre, when his solicitor Sam Macedone appeared before the court to launch appeal proceedings.

Scott will appeal against his sentence and conviction at a two-day hearing later this year.

He originally pleaded not guilty to a string of charges including four counts of common assault relating to his former partner Tay-Leiha Clark.

After a series of hearings last year, Mr Covington found Scott guilty of three charges – assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and stalk/intimidate with the intention of causing fear or physical harm.

Mr Covington ruled the former NRL star pushed Ms Clark during an altercation at her parents’ home in Sylvania, causing injuries to her head, forearm and wrist.

He also found that during a holiday at Lake Conjola on the NSW south coast, Scott charged into Ms Clark, knocking her to the ground.

Scott was also found guilty of verbally threatening Ms Clark during a phone conversation in which he threatened to kill both her and himself and after which he deliberately drove his car into a tree.

The 25-year-old was found not guilty of other allegations, including that he choked Ms Clark during an argument on the night of the 2018 NRL grand final.

During sentence proceedings in November, Scott’s defence barrister, Slade Howell, said the 25-year-old was in a “heightened emotional state” and was vulnerable when he assaulted and stalked Ms Clark.

Mr Howell argued Scott had good prospects of rehabilitation and should not receive a conviction, as he had already suffered after he was stood down from playing.

On Thursday afternoon, District Court judge Tim Gartelmann set the appeal down for hearing on July 17-18.

Scott played 71 NRL games across six seasons during stints at Melbourne and Canberra before his Raiders contract was terminated in 2021.