Prominent rugby league presenter and Fox Sports pundit Paul Kent has pleaded not guilty in court to charges of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend for the first time.
The NRL 360 co-host appeared at Downing Center Magistrates’ Court in Sydney on Wednesday and was charged with aggravated assault and willful asphyxiation of a person without consent.
The allegations relate to 33-year-old Lucy Kennedy, who was arrested with Kent at his home in the West last Friday morning and later released without charge.
Police were called to the Lilyfield residence in Sydney’s inner west around 10.30am following reports of an altercation between the two.
They have applied for a violent arrest warrant on behalf of Ms. Kennedy and on behalf of 52-year-old Kent.
Well-known rugby league presenter and Fox Sports pundit Paul Kent has pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic violence in court for the first time. Kent is pictured outside Downing Center Magistrates’ Court in Sydney
Ms. Kennedy indicated through her attorney on Wednesday that she would stand up to the AVO police charged against her.
Lucy Kennedy was arrested along with Kent (above)
Kent, who co-hosts NRL 360 on Fox League alongside former league star Braith Anasta and is also a columnist for the Daily Telegraph, is out on bail.
Police heard in court on Wednesday would bring an additional charge of assault with actual assault.
Attorney George Elias pleaded not guilty to both existing charges.
Police would call two officers plus Mrs. Kennedy, while Kent would have three witnesses for his defense.
His girlfriend Lucy Kennedy, 33, also appeared in court at the Downing Center in Sydney on Wednesday
In a statement released over the weekend, News Corp said Kent would temporarily stop writing for the Telegraph and would not appear on Fox League in the coming weeks.
“Paul Kent has stepped down from his duties at News Corp and Fox Sports while he deals with this personal matter,” the statement said.
League legend Gorden Tallis took over as Kent’s chairmanship at NRL 360 on Monday night, as Anasta told viewers: “Paul Kent has resigned while he deals with personal matters.”
One of NRL’s most outspoken and well-known pundits, Kent has been a regular co-host of NRL 360 since the show launched in 2013.
However, Fox Sports has since removed past shows from its Kayo streaming service.
Kent did not appear in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, the newspaper saying he was “on leave”. A column by Brent Read appeared in the space normally reserved for Kent’s weekend articles.
He was absent from NRL 360 as Anasta announced Kent was absent to sort out “personal issues”.
A hearing on the allegations has been set for two days beginning December 11th.
Kent’s AVO is mentioned on November 20th and Mrs. Kennedy’s on August 2nd.
Outside the court, Kent said he and Ms Kennedy separated the day before the alleged incident and was “embarrassed” to be in court.
He didn’t think his career was over. “I’m just going to let the trial proceed now,” he told reporters.
NRL journalist Paul Kent was arrested in Sydney on Friday and charged with assault
