Steel Tiger
Senior Master
At the end of March we had our Olympic swimming trials and everything went very well. Then the next day a member of the newly announced team was in police custody over an incident in a night club.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23457515-5014197,00.html.
More has come of this now. The swimmer, Nick D'arcy has been formerly charged with Assault Occasioning Grevious Bodily Harm, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. It is very unlikely that he will be going to Beijing but strangely that door has not actually been closed as yet. Many are speculating that because the hearing will not be until after the Olympics that he should be allowed to go just in case he is found not guilty.
There are some strange elements to this story.
This is not the first incident of this nature D'arcy has been involved in.
I have been wondering why Simon Cowley was with the team members at their celebration. He did not compete at the trials and was not part of the team in any way.
The injuries that Cowley sustained are horrendous. He was allegedly hit only once with a fist. He now has 5 titanium plates in his face - two on each side of his jaw and one one his cheek. I know swimmers are big with powerful arms and shoulders, but I think there was either an elbow was used, more than one blow was landed, or Cowley fell and hit his face on something hard. Cowley can't remember and D'arcy is not speaking about it.
Given how many people were there the picture that has come out about the incident is very sketchy. No one has said the altercation did not take place or that D'arcy is not to blame, but it does look a bit like the team has closed ranks concerning what really happened.
The circumstantial evidence against D'arcy is pretty bad and he may very well see some gaol time. Personally, I don't think he should be going to Beijing either.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23457515-5014197,00.html.
More has come of this now. The swimmer, Nick D'arcy has been formerly charged with Assault Occasioning Grevious Bodily Harm, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. It is very unlikely that he will be going to Beijing but strangely that door has not actually been closed as yet. Many are speculating that because the hearing will not be until after the Olympics that he should be allowed to go just in case he is found not guilty.
There are some strange elements to this story.
This is not the first incident of this nature D'arcy has been involved in.
I have been wondering why Simon Cowley was with the team members at their celebration. He did not compete at the trials and was not part of the team in any way.
The injuries that Cowley sustained are horrendous. He was allegedly hit only once with a fist. He now has 5 titanium plates in his face - two on each side of his jaw and one one his cheek. I know swimmers are big with powerful arms and shoulders, but I think there was either an elbow was used, more than one blow was landed, or Cowley fell and hit his face on something hard. Cowley can't remember and D'arcy is not speaking about it.
Given how many people were there the picture that has come out about the incident is very sketchy. No one has said the altercation did not take place or that D'arcy is not to blame, but it does look a bit like the team has closed ranks concerning what really happened.
The circumstantial evidence against D'arcy is pretty bad and he may very well see some gaol time. Personally, I don't think he should be going to Beijing either.
