Ex footy player on rape charge

A FORMER professional football player who was dragged off a flight from the Gold Coast to New Zealand trying to escape a rape charge has been granted bail.

Police will allege the man’s mother purchased a one-way ticket for him to return to his home country on Monday night after he heard of the rape allegations.

The personal trainer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was released from the Southport Watchhouse yesterday afternoon on the condition he surrender his passport, regularly report to police and not contact the alleged victim.

The man, 47, did not entered a plea in the Southport Magistrates Court to one count of rape relating to an incident with a 37-year-old woman on Sunday.

It will be alleged the man was visiting his on and off girlfriend to say “goodbye” after a break up.

It is understood the pair, who had been together for about a year, broke up often and he would tell her he was returning to New Zealand.

Police will allege the woman was in bed in her underwear when the man visited and pinned her to the bed, holding her arms above her head and raped her.

She told family and friends about the alleged incident the next day before going to police. It will be alleged the man’s mother found out about the allegations and purchased the ticket to New Zealand.

On social media the man claims he played professional football in the mid-1990s.

He is also well-known in another sport and for his charity work.

Duty lawyer Dave Garratt, of Howden Saggers Lawyers, told the court the man posed no flight risk as he had just signed a 12-month lease on his home.

He said the man was willing to surrender his passport.

The man has been in Australia for more than a decade.

Magistrate Kerrie O’Callaghan granted bail on the condition he surrender his passport, have no contact with the victim and report regularly to police.

On Monday afternoon, the Gold Coast detectives and Australian Federal Police arrested the man at Gold Coast Airport after he tried to board a plane to Auckland, New Zealand.

Federal police dragged the man off an outbound flight on the tarmac at the Coolangatta airport in the afternoon.

The Gold Coast’s Domestic Violence Taskforce and Child Protection Investigation Unit headed the sting after receiving a complaint from the woman on Monday. Federal police helped local detectives.

The matter will return to court on March 1.