The former Cricket Tasmania staffer at the centre of Tim Paine’s sexting scandal reportedly contacted Cricket Australia requesting an apology and fees to cover her legal costs in 2018.
According to a Sydney Morning Herald report, the woman who received the explicit text messages contacted CA in 2018 on multiple occasions requesting an apology from the now-former Test captain, as well as $40,000 for legal costs.
The report also states that representatives from the governing body were presented with a complete copy of the exchanges and images in January 2019.
In late 2018, emails were sent to Christine Harman, CA’s head of legal affairs. A select group of senior staff members were then looped in.
The woman’s request was declined in November 2018 due to the matter being a dispute between a staffer and two employees of Cricket Tasmania. Paine was not under contract with Cricket Australia when the lewd messages were exchanged in November 2017.
When the matter came to the attention of CA in May 2018, Paine was investigated by the governing body, as well as Cricket Tasmania.
Cricket Australia’s investigation included a search of Paine’s phone, but the conclusion was that he had not transgressed in a manner that would bring a charge under its code of conduct.
The former staffer’s lawyer went to Sean Mulcahy to arrange a meeting with CA.
“I provided a full copy of the text conversation with Tim Paine, including the pictures that were sent,” Mulcahy said.
“I indicated that it was her intention to keep the matter private and that she was seeking an apology from Cricket Tasmania and her legal fees reimbursed. I was subsequently contacted by Christine Harman at CA, advising that no mediation would take place. That was my last discussion with CA.”
The former staffer at the centre of the matter is currently facing charges of theft that date back to her time with Cricket Tasmania. She is denying those allegations.
It’s also been revealed that Shannon Tubb, Paine’s brother-in-law, has also been accused of sexually harrassing the woman at the centre of the Paine complaint. Tubb is a former Cricket Tasmania employee.
Tubb hasn’t worked with Cricket Tasmania since 2018 after his contract was terminated as part of a confidential agreement.
He’s since been working as a cricket coach at Prince Alfred College, a private school in Adelaide.
The school’s principal Bradley Fenner said he wasn’t aware of any allegations against Tubb until they came out in the media.
“We were not aware of that at the time we employed him,” he told Nine’s Today.
“At that time, he was and he remains an employee of the South Australian Cricket Association.
“So we need to find out all of the facts and then decide how we proceed.”
Former Test captain Mark Taylor, who spent nearly 14 years on the Cricket Australia board, yesterday defended the culture surrounding CA during his time.
“I don’t believe there ever was this toxic culture right through Cricket Australia,” Taylor said on Nine’s Sports Sunday.
“I was on the board for 13 or 14 years around that time – I would say the overwhelming majority of people who worked at Cricket Australia are good people, who worked for what they thought was the best interests of cricket in this country, and the cricketers and the people around them in this country, so I don’t subscribe to this.”