Police have not yet received a complaint from any alleged victim of Greens politician Johnathan Davis, who is accused of having sex with an underage boy and a teenager.
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Mr Davis has been stood down indefinitely and faces calls to resign after the shock news he was being investigated by his party over the allegations he had separately engaged in a relationship with a 17-year-old boy and had sex with a 15-year-old boy.
The Canberra Times revealed the accusations on Friday, leading to immediate calls for his resignation. Mr Davis' party referred the allegations to ACT Policing. The party had resolved before the revelation to refer the matter to police.
Police on Friday confirmed they had received the referral but no alleged victim had made a complaint about Mr Davis' actions.
Greens leader Shane Rattenbury was on Monday told of an allegation Mr Davis had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old, prompting him to immediately commission an internal investigation into the allegations.
Mr Rattenbury confirmed a complaint was brought to his attention at the start of the week, and a second followed shortly afterwards.
"I immediately asked a member of my senior staff to do an initial review to establish the appropriate next steps, and I have stood Mr Davis down from his MLA duties indefinitely," Mr Rattenbury said in a statement.
"My office has not seen evidence of illegal activity, but we are reporting what we know of the complaints to police."
A spokeswoman for Mr Rattenbury later said: "Given the nature of how the allegations arose, Mr Rattenbury made an initial decision to gather some further information before making the decision to stand Mr Davis down.
"Late Thursday afternoon Mr Rattenbury took the decision to stand Mr Davis down from his duties as an MLA. Mr Rattenbury informed the Chief Minister the next morning."
A person found guilty in the ACT of having sexual intercourse with a young person aged under 16 faces a jail term of up to 14 years.
The Canberra Times understands the young person, aged 15 at the time, did not provide evidence and has not come forward, which prompted the other person, who was 17 at the time of the alleged relationship with Mr Davis, to provide information.
Mr Davis has been accused of having a relationship with a 17-year-old two years ago, while he was a member of the Legislative Assembly.
The party has been provided with screenshots of text message conversations between Mr Davis and the 17-year-old, in which the pair discuss "hooking up" multiple times and the then 17-year-old's age.
Mr Davis said in the messages while some might see the relationship as inappropriate, he did not. The messages, seen by The Canberra Times, show Mr Davis confirming he had only met the person after they had turned 16.
A relationship with a 17-year-old is not illegal, as the law allows a person of that age to consent, but is understood to be inconsistent with the party's expectations for a member of government.
The ACT Greens on Friday held an emergency party room meeting to discuss the allegations and it is understood senior party figures have encouraged Mr Davis to resign.
Mr Davis' social media profiles on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram were deleted on Friday morning.
Mr Davis, who is openly gay, was elected to the fifth Brindabella seat at the 2020 ACT election by a margin of 82 votes.
Mr Davis had run for the Greens at the 2012 and 2016 ACT elections and stood for the federal seat of Bean in 2019. Mr Davis became involved in politics after campaigning, aged 15, against the planned closure of Kambah High School in 2006. He joined the Greens in 2008.
In his inaugural speech to the Assembly, Mr Davis described himself as a loud guy who wore his heart on his sleeve.
"I am someone who, in my lifetime, has found myself homeless, and I know what it feels like to have experienced sexual assault," he said.
Mr Davis, a former real estate agent, has led the ACT Greens' push for a rent freeze and short stay accommodation rules.
- This story has been updated to clarify the ACT Greens had resolved to refer Mr Davis to police before the allegations were published in The Canberra Times.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
