A security officer has denied calling the mother of Canberra Raiders player Tom Starling a slut before the NRL star was punched in the face multiple times by police during a brawl. 

Khan Morris, a security guard at the Central Coast bar, Shady Palms, continued giving evidence in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday. 

Video footage played before magistrate Daniel Covington showed his interaction with the Starling brothers’ mother that allegedly sparked the melee.

Mr Morris said he asked Joanne Starling to “go and sit down darling” due to COVID-19 restrictions before she walked off in frustration.

The brothers’ lawyer Samar Singh-Panwar said the reason Josh Starling then confronted the security guard was that he called their mother a “f***ing slut,” as she walked off.

“I disagree,” Mr Morris said, adding Josh Starling’s words were “don’t speak to my f***ing mother like that”. 

The Starling trio had been celebrating a friend’s 21st before they were arrested following the brawl involving up to 50 people, including police officers and security guards, in December 2020, the court was told. 

Tom, 23, Josh, 21, and Jackson Starling, 25, have pleaded not guilty to resisting or hindering a police officer, with the youngest also pleading not guilty to common assault and two counts of assaulting an officer.

A fourth man, Jesse Byrne, has also pleaded not guilty to resisting or hindering arrest. 

Senior Constable Brett Ransley who was inspecting the hotel for another reason that Saturday evening testified to seeing Tom Starling standing at the top of the stairs near the brawl. 

He wrote in his police statement that Starling stepped forward looking to fight before Sen Const Ransley pulled him, causing the Canberra Raiders star to fall back down the stairs. 

He was arrested after “he was acting aggressively, thrusting his arms about,” the officer wrote.

He did not recall a security guard placing Starling in a seated position at the top of the stairs in a headlock before he was turned around, as shown on the CCTV footage. 

Mr Singh-Panwar says the security guard then pushed his client down the stairs. 

“I don’t recall that,” Sen Const Ransley said.

The witness said Starling tried to evade arrest, dropped his body weight as he walked out, and laughed at the officers, but could not say when this occurred. 

“Everything you’ve said just happened to be off-camera?” Mr Singh-Panwar asked. 

He agreed those interactions were not filmed by him as he forgot to turn his body-worn camera on until after the altercations. 

Shortly after the brawl, Sen Const Ransley filmed the CCTV footage using his own mobile phone, and that video was played before the court. 

A police officer can be seen punching Tom Starling in the face multiple times, before someone watching the video says, “Wow, whoah, I don’t think they want to see that footage”.

“Nah, necessary force,” another person responds. 

“Totally,” says another. 

But Sen Const Ransley could not recall who else was present and said those words. 

Starling has been impressing off the bench for Canberra this season as the hooker is aiming to be the Raiders’ long-term No.9 after Josh Hodgson heads to Parramatta next season.

The hearing continues.