The footballer, the glassed girlfriend and his fall guy … one teed-off mate
Erik Jensen, Brad Walter, Glenn Jackson and Dylan Welch | August 26, 2008
Brent Watson was on the 18th tee when he rang his friend, the Cronulla five-eighth Greg Bird. He had missed six calls and two text messages from the rugby league star.
"Something has happened to Katie - it was an accident," Bird allegedly told Mr Watson. "There is blood everywhere in the unit. We have told the police it was you. How do you feel about that?"
Katie Milligan, Bird's 24-year-old American girlfriend, was in hospital by this time. A glass had been smashed in her face and she had a fractured eye socket.
A trail of blood was running through Bird's Cronulla beach apartment. There was glass in Bird's queen-sized bed and there were shards alongside it.
According to a police version of events tendered in Sutherland Local Court yesterday, Mr Watson, 23, had met Bird's solicitor at a local McDonald's after the call. "We don't want this getting to the media," the solicitor allegedly said.
Mr Watson, an accomplished golfer, went to his family, then police. He received a further text message from Bird as he spoke to police. "My manager is helping me sort this sh*t out," it read.
Bird, 24, and his girlfriend had already told hospital staff that Mr Watson was the culprit. By the end of the day it was Bird who was on bail facing two charges of attacking Ms Milligan, who was expected to undergo surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital. An apprehended violence order prevented him approaching her.
Bird was charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Another alleged attack, in which he had allegedly slapped Ms Milligan, was also mentioned by the prosecutor.
Yesterday afternoon, the Cronulla Sharks stood down Bird indefinitely. It looked unlikely he would play again this season.
"The club does not want to prejudge Greg until we have had an opportunity to meet with him and his legal counsel face-to-face," the Sharks chief executive, Tony Zappia, said.
"However, we are mindful that the allegations made by police prosecution at this point in time are extremely serious."
While Ms Milligan and Bird both told hospital staff that Mr Watson had attacked her, their versions of events differed slightly.
Neighbours told police that the only voices they heard in the apartment at the time of the alleged attack, between 7.30am and 8am on Sunday, belonged to Ms Milligan and Bird.
Bird is alleged to have yelled at Ms Milligan to "stop being a ---ing idiot". As the pair left the apartment that morning, en route to hospital, neighbours said they heard Ms Milligan ask Bird why he had attacked her.
"I didn't do it," he allegedly said. "Yes, you did," had been her reply.
The police prosecutor, Matt Zalunardo, told the court that Bird had tried to "pin the offence" on another person. He described a "great shadow of doubt" over Bird's version of events.
"The accused person … is actively trying to deceive police by inferring other people are involved in the matter and not being entirely honest," he said.
Acting Sergeant Zalunardo said Mr Watson had been at the Bankstown Golf Club on the morning of the alleged attack. "This places considerable doubt on the version of Mr Bird," he said. Mr Bird's lawyer argued that there were significant factual disputes and said the matter would be strongly defended.
The NRL chief executive, David Gallop, supported Cronulla's action and said Bird would face a life ban should he be found guilty.
Bird is due to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on October 8. The maximum sentence for his charges is 25 years in prison.
