WARNING: Graphic content

An underage girl who claimed she had sex with a promising rugby player and cheerleader has denied claims she only hugged him in his bedroom, a court has heard.

Connor Lind, 23, is on trial in Sydney’s Downing Central District Court, where he denies a string of charges and denies having sex with two underage girls.

Mr. Lind has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual intercourse with a child and one count of knowing sexual contact with a child.

The prosecution alleged that the defendant had anal, oral and digital sex with a girl who was 14 years old at the time of the incident.

He also denied putting his hand down the same girl’s trousers while she was sitting on the sofa at her family home in Allambie Heights on Sydney’s northern beaches.

The girl was in eighth and ninth grades at the time of the alleged crimes, according to the court.

Mr Lind, through his lawyer Lisa-Claire Hutchinson, denied any sexual contact with any of the girls, the court heard.

Connor Lind, 23, on trial at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court

The jury played video of the then-14-year-old’s pre-recorded statements on Thursday.

During cross-examination of Ms Hutchinson, she was asked whether she and Mr Lind would hug each other in her room.

‘Yes, we would hug each other,’ said the girl.

Hutchinson asked, ‘Connor says nothing sexual happened in that room?’

‘Wrong,’ replied the girl.

The court was told Mr Lind told his girlfriend he ‘didn’t want to risk ruining his career’ because of the age difference.

Lind also claims he told the girl that ‘only the worst side of rugby players are shown in the media’.

The girl testified in court that she did not remember the conversation in question.

The jury also watched a recording of a police interview on Thursday in which the girl described in detail the sexual acts she claimed to have taken part in with Mr Lind.

Mr Lind allegedly had anal sex with the girl in his room, the court was told.

When asked by a police officer whether she had had anal sex with Mr Lind, she replied: ‘Just once, it hurt a lot.’

The court was told the woman then told him: ‘We won’t do this again.’

The girl told officers she did not have penile-vaginal sex with Mr Lind because of her religious beliefs and that she was waiting to get married but consented to anal sex because it ‘didn’t count’ in her mind at the time.

Mr Lind has pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual intercourse with a child and a charge of intentionally sexually touching a child

She later testified that her attitude towards the concept of ‘gender’ had changed since then.

The girl also told officers that she performed oral sex on Mr. Lind in the bathroom of her home.

The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, also detailed an incident in which she claimed the man put his hand under her underwear and into her trousers while they were sitting on the sofa watching TV.

The court was told the incident was witnessed by another person in the room. The other person said ‘Jesus Christ’ and walked away, the girl told officers.

In his statement to the court, he said he did not remember the incident.

‘I’ve mostly put it out of my mind,’ she said, adding that she believes it’s a coping mechanism.

The court was told Mr Lind was aged between 19 and 20 at the time of the alleged offences.

There is no question of consent in the trial, but the alleged sexual acts took place when both girls were minors.

It is also alleged he put his hand down the trousers of another 15-year-old girl at Dee Why Beach.

The court was told that one of the charges of having sex with a child related to an allegation that he kissed the girl while she was sitting in a car and then put his hand down her trousers.

Mr Lind was arrested at Sutherland Police Station in August 2021 and does not deny knowing the girls were 14 and 15 at the time.

The court heard that the defendant denied having sexual intercourse with both complainants.

The trial before Judge John Pickering continues on Friday.