Court hears A-League player said ‘you’ll ruin my career’ pursuing alleged victim

The sexual assault trial of former Central Coast Mariners player Angel Torres has heard he met his alleged victim at a Terrigal nightclub and used Instagram to show her he was a professional football player.

WARNING: This story contains details of alleged sexual abuse.

Mr Torres, 24, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, sexual intercourse without consent, two counts of common assault, and intimidation.

Angel Torres was a player for the Central Coast Mariners. (AAP: Con Chronis)

In his opening remarks in Gosford District Court, Crown prosecutor Andrew Lynch told the jury Mr Torres, a Colombian national, made eye contact with a 21-year-old woman from across the dance floor in March 2024 and signalled for her to join him, using Google Translator to communicate.

The court heard the woman willingly went home with Mr Torres but sent a text message to a friend once there saying she was not sure about her decision as she started to sober up, saying she felt “weird vibes”.

The Crown told the court a sexual encounter began, during which Mr Torres removed the woman’s belt and wrapped it around her neck and that he laughed at her as she looked for her pants when she attempted to leave.

two men walking up steps, the left is in a grey suit, the right is in a blue suit, there are bushes behind them — Angel Torres (right) and his lawyer outside Gosford Local Court. (ABC Central Coast: Shauna Foley)

It is the Crown’s case that Mr Torres followed the woman as she ran down the street telling her “you’ll ruin my career”, to which she replied “just let me go, I won’t say anything”.

Mr Torres’ defence barrister William Brewer told the court the sexual encounter between the pair was consensual and that the accused is a person of good character.

The trial has commenced a year to the day since the alleged offence took place.