Lions coach faces indecent assault charge in Sydney

Lions defence coach Joey Mongalo is due to appear in a Sydney, Australia, court again tomorrow after being accused of indecently assaulting a female hotel worker in April.

The assault is alleged to have taken place while the Lions were on a Super Rugby tour of Australia in late April.

Mongalo, who became one of head coach Swys de Bruin’s assistants earlier this year following the departure to overseas clubs last season of coaches to Johan Ackermann and JP Ferreira, has already had one court appearance, on May 9, over the alleged assault in a Coogee hotel.

That was three days before the Lions faced the Highlanders in their final tour match.

The incident is said to have happened on the evening of April 23, two days after the Lions had beaten the Waratahs 29-0 in their opening tour game.

Mongalo, 33, is accused of indecently assaulting a 26-year-old female hotel worker at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, a few weeks after the alleged incident, the assault was only reported to the police on April 27 - a day before the Lions suffered a shock loss to the Reds in Brisbane.

The report further stated that Mongalo was arrested and charged on May 3 - two days before the Lions lost to the Hurricanes in Wellington.

A statement issued by the Lions in mid-May, after the allegations coming to light, said that Mongalo intended to defend the allegation made against him.

The Lions have said no more except that the matter was being dealt with by the New South Wales Police and “is before the New South Wales Court System.”

Mongalo is believed to have hired a Sydney-based legal team, in the form of Anthony Bellanto, QC of counsel, and Youssef Maksisi, as solicitor, of Maksisi Lawyers.