NRL stars Jack Wighton and Latrell Mitchell fronted ACT Magistrate's club today following a 30th birthday brawl at a Canberra nightclub earlier this year.
The star NRL duo are in ACT Magistrates Court contesting charges stemming from an alleged early morning fight in February.
Mitchell's defence will centre around alleged heavy-handed police conduct, the star South Sydney fullback having told police while being arrested: "I've done nothing wrong but be a blackfella in Australia".READ MORE:Both men are charged with failing to comply with an exclusion direction and fighting in a public place, while Mitchell is additionally charged with resisting a territory public official.
Prosecutor Sam Bargwanna accused the duo of fighting outside the Fiction nightclub after Wighton was removed from the venue by police due to his upset facial expression, angry demeanour and clenched fists.Police then allegedly intervened to break up the fight and arrest Mitchell, while reminding Wighton he'd been issued with an exclusion direction and to leave the area.
Footage from police body-worn cameras will show Mitchell encouraging people filming his arrest to share it on social media, Papas told the court. Other footage of the arrest shows four police officers on top of Mitchell when arresting him while the fullback yells "my shoulders, my shoulders"."Mr Wighton heard all of it, saw all of it … it was confronting to see … he's accused of not turning his back on his cousin and walking into the night," Wighton's lawyer told the court.They were all smiles when confronted by a media pack when they arrived at the building on Monday morning.
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