Sacked Canberra Raiders NRL player Curtis Scott will “vigorously” fight historical domestic violence charges against his former girlfriend.  

The 24-year-old has pleaded not guilty to eight counts including reckless choking, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and stalking/intimidation allegedly occurring in 2018 and 2019.

His former partner Tay-Leigha Clark made a formal complaint in 2021.

Scott who appeared in Sutherland Local Court on Wednesday is “not feeling very well at all”, his lawyer Sam Macedone said outside court. 

“He’s in a rehabilitation program, he’s with alcoholics anonymous, he hasn’t had a drink since July last year. He’s now got himself another job which starts tomorrow,” he said. 

“Internally, he’s just frustrated.”

“He’s going to defend (the charges) quite vigorously and you see from today, he’s not going to agree to anything.”

Scott was granted an AVO variation on Wednesday allowing him to walk past the complainant’s home to train in a nearby park.

The house was purchased in August in the same street where his new girlfriend has lived for nine years and where Scott spends “a lot of time”, the court was told. 

Police prosecutor George Lolis argued this would cause Ms Clark fear and asked for an alternative route to the park that would add up to 800 metres extra walking distance for Scott. 

But Mr Macedone said Scott had already been harassed in the area and after formally complaining of the incident to the police, the complainant came forward with some allegations.

“My client says he’s just wiped this person from memory, from his phone and everything else,” he said.

“He’s simply saying let me walk to the park get my training under way, I’ll do it on the other side of the road.”

Magistrate Jayeann Carney agreed to the AVO variation allowing Scott to walk within 15 metres of his alleged victim’s residence as opposed to 50 metres, satisfied he would not interfere with his bail conditions. 

The football player was arrested at a golf course at Barden Ridge in Sydney’s south one week ago, following an investigation that began in November, police say.

Outside court his lawyer questioned why the allegations from three years ago only came about recently. 

“I have my thoughts,” Mr Macedone said, adding that he was not about to express them.

The troubled sportsman had two years remaining on his contract with the Raiders when he was sacked in August last year, after joining from the Melbourne Storm in 2020.

In a statement the club said his prior behaviour had brought the club into disrepute, following two major off-field incidents. 

He later received a three-game ban and was fined a total of $30,000 by the NRL for bringing the game into disrepute.

A separate case has already been thrown out of court after he was charged with assaulting police officers in the early hours of January 27, 2020. 

The magistrate found the drunk man who was pepper-sprayed and tasered by police had suffered enough punishment by the arresting officers, and dismissed all charges. 

Following Canberra’s decision to rip up his contract, Scott accused the club of not supporting him after he revealed mental health issues.

His case is next due for mention on Monday in the Downing Centre Local Court.

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