'Changing the goalpost': Magistrate hits out in ex-AFL star's hearing
A magistrate has questioned the perjury case against former AFL player Nick Stevens, who is accused of lying when he told a court he did not know a woman he had been texting.
Mr Stevens, 38, is charged with giving false evidence in Ringwood Magistrates Court in December 2014, when he allegedly stated he did not know a woman by the name of Samantha Nash.
The former Carlton player returned to Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday to continue a committal hearing that will determine if he will stand trial.
Earlier this week the court was told Mr Stevens and Ms Nash exchanged more than 600 text messages and videos of a sexual nature after meeting at a football event in 2012.
Mr Stevens also made a lewd video of himself with a picture of Ms Nash.
Magistrate Ross Maxted on Friday told the prosecution he is "struggling" to understand how authorities have demonstrated the charge against Stevens.
It is alleged he "wilfully and corruptly gave false evidence when he stated that he did not know Samantha Nash".
"You have failed to prove corruption," Mr Maxted told prosecutor Penny Thorp.
The magistrate said the charge against Mr Stevens appeared to be "improperly framed".
The defence, led by Sean Cash, has also criticised the charge against Mr Stevens.
The magistrate's concerns prompted Ms Thorp to make an application to amend the charge against Mr Stevens, but Mr Cash objected.
"It's a bit late in the day to be making an application on those notes," he said.
Amending the charge in the middle of a committal hearing would be unfair to the defence, Mr Cash added.
"We're now faced with a changing of the goalpost, as it were."
The committal hearing continues.
AAP