Key Points
- Member for Pittwater Rory Amon has been charged in relation to an alleged sexual assault on a teenage boy in 2017.
- Investigations started in 2022 but a strike force was set up in March 2023, the same month as the state election.
- The first-term NSW Liberal MP has quit parliament.
A first-term NSW Liberal MP has quit parliament after being charged in relation to an alleged sexual assault on a teenage boy in 2017.
Member for Pittwater Rory Amon — who was also a party spokesman on youth issues, was arrested on Friday morning at Manly Police Station and charged with 10 offences.
They include five counts of sexual intercourse with a person over 10 and under 14, two of attempting sexual intercourse with a child over 10 under 14, two of indecently assaulting a person under 16 and committing an act of indecency with a person under 16.
Amon denied the 2017 allegations in a statement, stating he would "make my case in the courts, not in the media".
State Liberals moved swiftly after news of the charges became public, with Opposition leader Mark Speakman demanding Amon's resignation from the party and parliament.
Speakman said the 35-year-old immediately quit the party and tendered his resignation as an MP.
"The charges laid against Rory Amon are extremely serious … the alleged conduct strikes at the heart of the standards expected of MPs," the Liberal leader said.
"While Mr Amon is entitled to the presumption of innocence, a criminal trial will be some time away and in the meantime the citizens of Pittwater are entitled to have a member of parliament who can discharge their duties in the community fully."
In a statement, Amon said, "The people of Pittwater should have a representative who can dedicate one hundred per cent of their time advocating for this wonderful community."
"As I defend myself against these charges, I will not be able to devote my full energy to representing them."
Detectives started an investigation in June 2022 after reports of an alleged sexual assault in Mona Vale, which is within Amon's electorate on Sydney's northern beaches, five years earlier.
They were told a teenage boy had been sexually assaulted by a man known to him.
A strike force was set up in March 2023, the same month as the state election.
Amon was granted bail with strict conditions and is scheduled to face court for the first time on the charges on 18 September.
Lawyers for the first-term MP fronted Manly Local Court on Friday after lodging an application to have his identity suppressed, a bid they later abandoned.
Amon had been quick to rise in the Liberal party and was immediately placed in Speakman's leadership team after his election to parliament.
His posts included stints as Opposition assistant spokesperson for youth, infrastructure, and transport and roads.
Anyone seeking information or support relating to sexual abuse can contact Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380.
