AFL in new blue over Bingle as Clarke to depart
The Sunday Age
Sunday March 14, 2010
LARA Bingle's lawyers have blasted the AFL's handling of her nude photo complaint against Brendan Fevola, urging it reveal all the material it has gathered and demanding an independent judicial investigation.As Bingle and Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke dodged reporters after announcing their separation on Friday, the strongly worded legal statement threw the spotlight back on Bingle's complaint over Fevola's alleged distribution of a photograph of her showering and the AFL's campaign to encourage respect for women.AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said last night he was unable to confirm whether that document had been received and maintained the AFL still wanted to talk with Bingle in person.But Bingle's lawyers, led by Patrick George from Kennedys Law in Sydney, said the AFL had been "insensitive and oppressive" in pursuing her because she was the victim. They said the statement was issued in response to comments by AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou on Friday that Bingle's legal team had failed to make her available for interview by the league.Mr George said he had sent the AFL two statutory declarations yesterday verifying Bingle's complaint against Fevola.They questioned why the AFL had not publicly released what Fevola had said when he was interviewed last week, and demanded it do so immediately.Fevola is alleged to have circulated the nude photo of Bingle in the shower, taken during their short and torrid affair in 2006 when she maintains she did not know the AFL bad boy was married.Bingle's agent, Max Markson, also lashed out, saying Demetriou should be "embarrassed" by his handling of the matter.He also maintained Fevola could yet face criminal charges.AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson said yesterday any prospect of criminal charges was "entirely a matter for Ms Bingle".Bingle's lawyers said the AFL had a conflict of interest in conducting the investigation and called for a judge to take over."The AFL needs to have a look at themselves," the statement says. "The AFL's policy on the treatment of women recently announced should dictate that they are extremely sensitive to someone in Lara's position . . ."They are attempting to investigate something which they have an inherent self-interest to protect €” their image and reputation," the document said.This fresh row came as Clarke and Bingle were stripped of their joint sponsorship of Synergy Drinks because they no longer represented its "core values".The deal was reportedly worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.Clarke and Bingle announced late on Friday night that their engagement was over. The split was sparked by Bingle's decision to accept $200,000 to talk to the same women's magazine that published the nude photograph of her.Bingle's protestations over that relationship were called into question when former Hawthorn player Dermott Brereton said he told her Fevola was married before they embarked on their affair.Clarke abandoned Australia's limited overs series in New Zealand last week to return home to deal with the drama. He is due to return to New Zealand tomorrow for the first Test on Friday.
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