Canberra Raiders star Tom Starling has opened up about the terrifying ordeal he endured after being allegedly assaulted by police, as two officers finally face charges more than five years after the incident.
Evan Huw Prowse and Steven Lockwood Brown are set to appear in a Sydney court on Tuesday to face allegations stemming from the incident at the Shady Palms bar on the Central Coast in December 2020. Starling, who was celebrating a 21st birthday party that night, was dragged backwards out of the venue by police, as shown in CCTV footage played in court in 2022.
The footage reveals Prowse punching Starling twice in the face while his arms were being held, leaving him completely defenceless. The Raiders hooker then stumbled, having potentially been knocked out. Brown then struck Starling three times in the head, with a fourth punch narrowly missing.
Once the cases against the two officers have concluded, Starling intends to sue the police. However, even after the legal process is over, the incident continues to haunt the now 27-year-old.
"It's something that's always going to be there," Starling told Four Corners. "You still google my name, it's still there. That never goes away."
Despite the personal and financial toll—his parents had to remortgage their home to cover legal fees—Starling has persisted in fighting the allegations. He expressed the confusion and fear of being mistreated by those meant to protect him.
"Since you're a little kid you're told the police are there to look after you and if you're in trouble, go to the police," Starling said. "But if the police put you in that position, you don't know where to turn to. It's hard because they're the ones that are supposed to be protecting you. But who do you go to complain about them? It was a pretty dark place to be honest with you. I was just confused. I didn't know what was going on. I was scared to be honest."
Former police officer Kurt Hayward pursued the matter internally, dissatisfied with how Starling was treated. He eventually convinced a superior to act, resulting in the charges against Starling being withdrawn and an investigation into the officers' actions. Hayward has since left the police force.
"You could see Starling had already been knocked unconscious and was floppy and Brown throws those punches at the unconscious body," Hayward said. "There's no way you can justify those actions."
Starling opened up about the toll the ordeal took on him while he continued to play for the Raiders in the NRL. The Canberra club stood by him throughout after he initially told them he had done nothing wrong. Now in career-best form, an injury has him as an outside chance to be called into the NSW State of Origin camp next week, coinciding with Prowse and Brown's court appearance.
"It was hard to show up sometimes, put that brave face on and pretend like it wasn't affecting me, but 100 per cent it was," Starling said. "I was a young kid trying to live out my dream and I had this dark cloud just following me around everywhere. I used to go to games and just think everyone was thinking, 'Oh, there's that thug Tom Starling that assaulted police officers,' and did all those things that they said about me."
Starling's story highlights the lasting impact of such incidents, even as he continues to excel on the field.
