Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
· collected 2026-09-05 · by Christine Lacy
Victoria Police have seized an audio recording from a Melbourne home related to the Sydney Swans' alleged sexual assaults investigation. The recording, made by people who were present at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel on August 17, details events surrounding the alleged incident involving five players and three women. Four of the Swans players are persons of interest in the investigation, while three other men, including two former teammates, are being treated as witnesses. The audio will be key evidence in the investigation, which police expect to take at least eight more weeks to resolve.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Victoria Police have seized an audio recording from a Melbourne home that details events surrounding allegations of sexual assault against five Sydney Swans players and two other men. The recording was made in the days following the alleged incident on August 17, which occurred at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel, where three women were allegedly assaulted while working as topless waitresses for the group of men. The women have claimed they were touched inappropriately without consent, and four Swans players - Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, and James Jordon - are being investigated as persons of interest. Three other men who were present at the hotel room that night are now considered witnesses by police. The investigation is ongoing and is expected to take at least another eight weeks to complete.
Written for “Swans Sexual Assault Investigation” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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Leaning score -0.35 for article 4599 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-05
Victoria Police have seized an audio recording from a Melbourne home detailing events at the centre of the Sydney Swans alleged sexual assaults investigation.
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Police → seize → investigation
A source close to the investigation, but not authorised to comment publicly, told this masthead that the recording was made in the days following the alleged incident in a room at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel in the early hours of Monday, August 17.
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recording → authorise → Monday
The source said the recording included detailed recollections from people who were inside the hotel room where five Sydney Swans players and two other men had engaged three women to entertain them as topless waitresses.
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players → say → waitresses
Four of the Swans players – Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey and James Jordon – are persons of interest in the unfolding police investigation.
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Four → unfold → investigation
Each of the three women have variously alleged they were sexually assaulted and touched inappropriately without consent.
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they → allege → consent
Three other men who were also in the hotel room at the time – Swans player Riley Bice, retired former teammate Taylor Adams and a mystery man – are now being treated by police as witnesses to the pre-dawn events.
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who → retire → events
A second source with knowledge of the incident, but not authorised to speak publicly, said the recording also included recollections of what took place in the hotel’s lobby, where Swans officials, including coach Dean Cox, interacted with some of the women who had been in the hotel room.
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who → authorise → room
The alleged incident in the hotel room unfolded after a night of wild partying by the players after the Swans beat Essendon on Sunday, August 16 at the MCG.
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Swans → allege → MCG
Separate from the police investigation, the five players were suspended by the Swans for the remainder of this season for breaching the club’s behavioural standards.
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players → suspend → standards
The sanction did not relate to the sexual assault allegations.
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sanction → relate → allegations
This masthead revealed on Thursday that Blakey is unhappy with the Swans’ handling of the crisis and is now seeking a trade to another AFL club.
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Blakey → reveal → club
The police’s seizure of the recording follows reports in the days after the hotel incident that the football club was made aware the audio existed by a person who said they were connected to the women involved.
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they → follow → women
The club referred this information to the Tony Keane-led AFL integrity unit, which informed Victoria Police.
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which → refer → Police
The Swans and the AFL were told only of the recording, but had no confirmation of its actual existence or knowledge of its contents.
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Swans → tell → contents
The audio will be key evidence in the unfolding investigation, which police said on Wednesday was likely to take at least another eight weeks’ time.
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police → unfold → time
In that statement, police confirmed that detectives had travelled to Sydney to speak to four of the five Swans players and that a fifth player was now a witness.
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player → confirm → players
They said they had also now identified all those present in the room that morning.
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they → say → room
This masthead reported this week that several players had declined to participate in what were voluntary interviews.
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what → report → ?
The Swans, minus the suspended five players, play the Brisbane Lions in a qualifying final on Saturday at the SCG.
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Swans → suspend → SCG
The winner will go through to a preliminary final while the loser will play a sudden-death semi-final next weekend.
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loser → go → final
Last month, Swans chairman and millionaire businessman Andrew Pridham said the club’s decision to suspend the five players following the hotel scandal had “effectively torpedoed our season” after the Swans finished the home and away season in second place.
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Swans → say → place
The five players are not expected to attend Saturday’s match.
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players → expect → match
A Victoria Police spokesperson said: “As previously advised, we’re not providing a running commentary on the investigation.
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we → say → investigation
There is nothing further to what was issued earlier this week.”
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what → be → ?
Be the first to know when major news happens.
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news → know → ?
