Rugby league star Brett Stewart has said he feels sorry for the teenage girl who accused him of sexual assault, less than a day after being found not guilty for the crime.
The Manly Sea Eagles fullback said the 18 months between the accusation and his acquittal on Wednesday were filled with a sense of emptiness.
But despite the anger and frustration that came with the court case, Stewart last night said in an exclusive interview with Nine News that he felt sorry for the 17-year-old who accused him.
"I feel a little bit sorry for the girl actually," he said.
"She's obviously got some mental issues and had them for a while, so yeah, just feel a bit sorry for her."
Stewart said a majority of people decided he was guilty after the allegation of sexual assault was made.
"Some of the stuff that was published through the media — I don't know where they got it from and I can't blame the public for forming an opinion on what the media write or what they said," he said.
"Around Manly it was all right — they stayed loyal there.
"Anywhere else seems to hate us, so it was no different."
Stewart, 25, had pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual assault and two charges of indecent assault related to allegations made by the teen.
The girl alleged he cornered her, tongue-kissed her and digitally penetrated her against her wishes outside his north Manly townhouse complex on March 6, 2009.
Stewart had counter-claimed that the girl, who had been outside the complex having a cigarette, made advances toward him after he arrived home in a taxi from the Sea Eagles' 2009 season launch.
She admitted to having been diagnosed with a mental illness, the details of which cannot be disclosed due to a court order prohibiting publication.
After a 10-day trial, it took the panel of five women and seven men less than two hours to reach unanimous verdicts finding Stewart not guilty.
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