Two Ireland rugby internationals have been questioned by the Police Service of Northern Ireland over alleged sex offences in the summer.
One of the players, Ulster’s Paddy Jackson, has released a statement through his lawyers denying all of the allegations about an incident at a property in south Belfast in June. His club-mate Stuart Olding was questioned by the PSNI about the same incident. A third man was also arrested.
Details of the pair’s arrest came to light followingon Tuesday after a report on BBC Northern Ireland. In a statement, the PSNI said: “Police arrested two men aged 24 and one man aged 23 on Thursday 30 June in relation to a number of sexual offences reported to have taken place at a property in south Belfast, on 28 June.
“The men have been interviewed and released from custody. A file will be prepared for submission to the Public Prosecution Service. A fourth man, aged 24, will be reported to the PPS in relation to this incident for perverting the course of justice.”
Jackson’s legal firm, KRW Law, said he “rejects completely any allegations made against him”.
Its statement said: “Patrick has cooperated fully with police in their inquiries and we have been liaising with police on his behalf. We are disappointed and concerned that this information has been leaked to the press before the investigation has concluded and well in advance of any final decision. This has the potential to be prejudicial to our client’s interests.
“We will not hesitate to take all necessary steps to protect his legal position as he is entitled to the presumption of innocence. We urge the media to restrain from any damaging speculation.”
Jackson had been due to fly to Chicago on Monday with the Ireland squad, who face New Zealand there on Saturday. However a press release from the Irish Rugby Football Union said he was not included for “personal reasons”.
The week before the alleged offences in June, Jackson had returned from the Test tour in South Africa.
Jackson, 24, has been capped 16 times while Olding, 23, has played four times for his country. The two men, both from Belfast, are established players for Ulster and have featured regularly for the team for most of this season.
In a statement, the club said: “Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding have been assisting the PSNI with inquiries.
“The players deny any wrongdoing and have not been charged with any offence. As no charges have been brought forward, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
