The previously unidentified person who made a secret recording at the heart of the Sydney Swans controversy was the flatmate of one of the three women involved, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The audio was allegedly recorded in the hours following the reported incident at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel, across from the MCG, in the early hours of August 17. Police later seized it during a raid on a Melbourne property.
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice had attended a party where three adult entertainers later told police they had been sexually assaulted.
Victoria Police opened an investigation into the allegations, while the five players were stood down for the rest of the AFL season after breaching the Sydney Swans’ code of conduct by drinking and bringing women back to their hotel.
No charges have been filed, and the Daily Mail does not suggest the players are personally under investigation. Bice was cleared by police in early September and is now being treated solely as a witness.
The identity of the person who made one of the most closely guarded pieces of evidence in the case had remained unknown until now.
The Daily Mail can now reveal that the recording was made by a man who shared a home with one of the women, prompting friends to describe his actions as “the ultimate betrayal”.
“It was one of their flatmates,” a friend said.
The Daily Mail can reveal that a housemate of one of the women involved in the Sydney Swans scandal secretly recorded the audio at the centre of the case. (Stock image posed by model)
Isaac Heeney has split from his fiancée, Steffie Waters, in the aftermath of the hotel scandal
The women had been hired through the Party Girls Melbourne agency, pictured on its website
“It was just after the incident, and they were talking about what had happened that night, how they felt about it and what they planned to do next.”
The contents of the recording have not been officially made public. However, the friend said the women no longer remember precisely what they discussed and have no idea which parts of their conversation may have been captured.
“The days afterwards are a bit of a blur in terms of what they said to whom. They gave statements to police, met with their civil lawyers, spoke to several friends and even talked to the media,” the friend said.
“So they are not completely certain about what was said.”
“But this flatmate recorded them secretly and later contacted the Swans about it.”
The club subsequently notified the AFL Integrity Unit, which referred the information to Victoria Police. Detectives then obtained a warrant, raided a Melbourne property and seized the recording in early September.
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The friend said the women only recently discovered who had made the recording and remain confused about his alleged motive.
“Look, we do not know exactly what his intentions were. But given the Swans passed it to the Integrity Unit, we assume he may have been trying to sell it and make money,” the friend said.
The alleged incident occurred at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel on August 17, with the audio apparently recorded soon afterwards
The Mail previously revealed how the night after Sydney’s win over Essendon descended into chaos when a group of players hired female entertainers to attend the Pullman hotel (pictured)
Heeney’s fiancée Steffie Waters fled to Noosa after the scandal broke (pictured on August 21)
‘Why else would he be telling AFL bosses he had the recording?
‘If he thought he had important evidence to do with an ongoing investigation, wouldn’t he take it to the police?’
It’s understood that once the audio was seized, detectives then called the women back to make further statements as they worked through the accounts of everyone involved.
However, the Mail can reveal that those final interviews were only completed last week and since then one of the women has left Victoria.
‘She doesn’t feel safe there and is really paranoid, especially after they found it was the flatmate. She doesn’t know who to trust now.’
The development comes amid growing doubt in AFL and legal circles over whether the evidence gathered by police will ultimately result in charges against any of the four players.
Swans players Isaac Heeney (right) Chad Warner and Riley Bice (left) were seen leaving Sydney Swans HQ on September 23
There is also divided legal opinion over whether the original secret audio recording, which was seized by police in September, would even be admissible in court if the case proceeded.
Detectives are now expected to provide a brief of evidence to the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions, which will ultimately consider whether there are reasonable prospects of securing a conviction.
But the three women remain hopeful the investigation will result in charges, with sources saying they believe the intense public interest will work in their favour.
‘They know all eyes are on this and they believe that means the police will lay charges.’
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