A New South Wales MP who quit parliament just hours after being charged with child sex offences has also been sacked as referee on the biggest day of the Sydney rugby calendar.
NSW Pittwater MP Laurie Armon has been charged with five counts of sexual intercourse with a child aged between 10 and 14 after being arrested at Manly Police Station at 6am on Friday.
Amon was also due to referee the Shute Shield rugby grand final between Eastern Suburbs and Northern Suburbs on Saturday but has been replaced.
The Chute Shield Grand Final is the pinnacle of Sydney rugby and the premier club rugby competition in Australia.
Amon was due to officiate the first grade grand final at Reichhardt Oval today as the fifth official, but the NSW Rugby Referees Association was forced to find a replacement referee at the last minute.
John McCarthy, who served as fifth umpire for the previous match between Eastern Suburbs and Manly Marlins in Division Two, will also referee in the Division One match.
NSW rugby referee Rory Amon has stepped down from today’s Shute Shield first grade grand final at Leichhardt Oval.
Amon has vowed to fight 10 counts of child sex crimes allegedly committed against a 13-year-old boy.
Amon, 35, resigned from his seat of Pittwater in NSW on Friday, hours after he was charged with assaulting a teenage boy he knew in Mona Vale on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in 2017.
The indictment includes five counts of having sexual intercourse with a person aged 10 or older but under 14 years old and two counts of attempting to have sexual intercourse with a child aged 10 or older but under 14 years old.
He was also charged with two counts of indecent assault on a person under 16 and two counts of committing a indecent act on a person under 16.
His lawyers appeared in Manly Local Court on Friday afternoon in an attempt to block the media from identifying him and reporting on the allegations, but the application was withdrawn and dismissed.
Amon later released a statement insisting on his innocence and confirmed he had resigned from the NSW Liberal Party.
“I have been indicted today in relation to allegations that occurred in 2017,” he said.
‘I deny all charges and will present my case in court, not in the press. Therefore, I will not be commenting further on this case.’
‘The nature of the charges against me means that I will be unable to fully represent my community in Parliament. As a result, I have resigned as Member for Pittwater with immediate effect.’
Rory Amon (pictured) was asked to resign from the NSW Liberal Party on Friday.
Amon said his constituents want a representative who is committed to their community.
“I will not be able to devote my full energy to defending them against these charges,” he said.
‘I would like to thank everyone who supported me.
‘It has been the greatest honour of my life to represent my community on Northern Beaches Council since September 2017 and as a Pittwater councillor from March 2023.’
Amon was granted conditional bail. He must appear at the police station once a day and cannot contact the victim or prosecution witnesses.
NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman confirmed he had asked Amon to resign after learning of the charges against him early on Friday.
“The allegations against Lori Amon are extremely serious,” he said in a statement.
‘After I became aware of these allegations, I asked Mr. Amon to resign from the Liberal Party immediately, which he did.
‘Mr. Amon is entitled to the presumption of innocence, but while the criminal trial continues, the people of Pittwater have the right to have a representative who can adequately discharge his duties in the community.’
The investigation relates to a sexual assault that occurred in Mona Vale, on Sydney’s northern beaches, in 2017.
Liberal MP Rory Amon has been charged with five counts of underage sex with teenage boys.
“Police received reports that a teenage boy had been sexually assaulted by a man known to him at an address in Mona Vale,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said.
‘In March 2023, Strike Force NOORAL was created to investigate the incident.
‘Following extensive investigations, a 35-year-old man was arrested at Manly Police Station at around 6am this morning.’
He was granted strict conditional bail to appear in Manly Local Court on September 18.
Eamon was elected to the Northern Beaches seat of Pittwater last year, replacing retiring Minister Rob Stokes.
He became Shadow Assistant Secretary for Transport and Roads, Shadow Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure and Shadow Assistant Secretary for Youth Affairs.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb was asked on Friday about the charges based on budget estimates.
Representative Robert Borsak, a marksman, fisherman and farmer, asked Mrs. Webb if she could provide Congress with “the proceedings and the charges” related to Mr. Amon’s prosecution.
‘He is currently in custody awaiting court appearance, will the police support his bail application?’ he asked.
Mr Webb replied, ‘That’s up to the bail bondsman.’
“The bail officer makes the decision, and that’s the bail officer’s decision,” she said.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley said she was unaware of the charges.
