Ex-football star accused of perjury

DISGRACED AFL star Nick Stevens is in trouble with the law again, facing court yesterday on a charge of perjury.

The former Carlton and Port Adelaide player has been accused of giving false evidence during a December 2014 hearing of charges that he assaulted his former partner.

And a witness in the latest case will be excused from giving evidence in person because of “material” Stevens is said to have sent to her phone.

Stevens, who played 231 AFL games, was jailed last year for six months, three of them suspended, on charges of assaulting his former girlfriend, Laima McKenna.

The perjury charge relates to a Magistrates Court hearing in December 2014, during which he was denying the charges of assaulting Ms McKenna. Police allege that he gave evidence that he did not know a woman named Samantha Nash, but that call charge records had shown this evidence was false.

Ms Nash, who is believed to be a model, has also given police a statement.

The court will allow her to give evidence in the perjury case from a remote location, so that she won’t have to confront Stevens in person.

“The content of the material that has been sent by your client to Ms Nash means a remote facility is appropriate,” Magistrate Sarah Dawes told Stevens’ lawyer yesterday.

Stevens, who in the case involving Ms McKenna was originally charged with 30 offences, was found guilty by a magistrate of 13 of them.

In March 2015, Stevens was jailed for eight months, fined $400, and put on a 12-month Community Corrections Order involving 90 hours’ community service.

After appealing to the County Court, Stevens pleaded guilty to just two charges of intentionally causing injury to Ms McKenna, and was jailed and fined $3000.

Ms McKenna said then that his assaults had left her in “an emotional hell”, and she was “no longer the happy carefree, fun person” she used to be.

She had a scar on her cheek and continued to suffer from psychological stress, she said.

Stevens, who will contest the perjury charge, was yesterday ordered to reappear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court next year for a hearing to assess whether there is sufficient evidence to commit him to stand trial.