Rugby league star Robert Lui has been placed on a two-year good behaviour bond and fined $2000 after admitting to a "mad Monday" assault on his girlfriend.
The North Queensland player pleaded guilty today to assault occasioning actual bodily harm on his former partner, Taleah Rae Backo, 22, in the days after his former team, Wests Tigers, was eliminated from the 2011 NRL finals.
In Burwood Local Court, magistrate Glenn Walsh also ordered the 22-year-old player to pay Ms Backo's travel expenses for her appearance in court on Wednesday and imposed a 12-month apprehended violence order.
The incident occurred at North Strathfield in Sydney's inner west on September 19 last year, on the Monday after the Tigers had been defeated by the New Zealand Warriors in the Friday semi-finals.
Ms Backo told Burwood Local Court earlier on Wednesday that Lui had kicked her in the temple and headbutted her on the night of the Tigers' "mad Monday" celebrations.
She said Lui had entered the apartment via a balcony, pushed her in the chest, then dragged her by her hair to a mattress where he kicked her a number of times.
"He was trying to kick into the sides of me," she told the court during sentencing submissions.
"I was trying to cover myself. That's when he kicked me in the head.
"I was curled up trying to cover myself."
In his initial evidence, Lui denied kicking Ms Backo and said he could not remember if he had headbutted her.
"I know in my heart I didn't kick her," he said.
During cross-examination, Lui admitted he had been drinking before the incident, but said that had not affected his memory.
"I do remember because I wasn't really drunk," he told the court.
Lui said he admitted headbutting Ms Backo only because he was scared of being "locked up".
