Charges dropped... Sebastian Ryall.Credit:Brendan Esposito
Ryall had been accused of receiving oral sex from the teenager in the early hours of January 25,2008,in a bus shelter near the Pittwater RSL at Mona Vale,on Sydney's northern beaches.
''We have received a letter from the DPP with news that it has declined to find a bill of indictment in the matter,in other words they have dropped the charge,''Mr Lloyd told Law and Order yesterday,adding:''The sporting world out there will be very pleased to hear that.''
Ryall,from Epping and a graduate of the NSW Institute of Sport,was charged with engaging in a sexual act with a girl aged between 10 and 14. Then aged 18 and playing with the Melbourne Victory in the A-League,he had been at a party before the incident occurred.
At the time he had been selected to lead the under 20s Young Socceroos to the Youth World Cup in Egypt but the charge brought about his sacking and stripping of the young Australian team captaincy indefinitely.
He is regarded as one of the best Australian players of his generation.
Ryall,who had steadfastly defended the charge that was set for hearing in the Sydney District Court,had to endure a 3½-month ban from A-League games imposed in May last year by Football Federation Australia for bringing the game into disrepute after being charged with a criminal offence.
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In the lead-up to the dropping of charges by the DPP,his instructing solicitor,Robert Stephen,described the incident as''very much a storm in a teacup''.
Mr Lloyd said the decision by the DPP to drop proceedings came after a submission by Ryall's legal team that he believed the girl to be aged over 16 at the time of the alleged offence.