Australian indoor hockey coach Lauren Austin charged with sexual assault in Perth

The head coach of the Australian women's indoor hockey team is facing a number of charges of sexual assault, including in the fact that her alleged victim was a child.

Lauren Austin, who represented Australia as both a player and coach, was charged with five offences, including one count of sexual penetration without consent.

“The alleged offences occurred on several separate dates at locations in the greater Perth area, including when the female victim was both an adult and a minor,” a Western Australian Police spokesman said.

“At the time of the alleged crimes, the woman was working as a coach for a national sports team.”

Ms. Austin, 30, was named coach of the indoor hockey team in January, four years after retiring as an active player.

She coached Australia during its tour of the United States in March and was part of the program's preparation for the World Indoor Cup, which will be held in Croatia in February.

Hockey Australia said in a statement that it was “aware that a case has been reported to the authorities and is currently the subject of investigation and/or legal proceedings.”

“We have cooperated fully with the relevant authorities and taken appropriate steps to reduce the risk to our participants,” the statement said.

“To protect the integrity of the proceedings and the interests of all parties, no further information will be provided at this time.”

Austin played for Australia at the 2007 and 2018 World Championships before ending her career due to the demands of running her own cleaning business and an international hockey career.

“As a self-funded athlete, and that is the case for every member of the Australian Indoor Hockey World Cup team, the decision to fund a World Championship rather than come home to watch and support my loved ones made me think about my future as a player at international level and make that decision,” she said at the time.

Ms Austin is due to appear in court on Friday.

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