A former New South Wales (NSW) Liberal politician, Rory Amon, is facing a possible lengthy prison sentence after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy.
The 37-year-old former MP was convicted on Friday, following about four hours of deliberations, of one count of sexual intercourse with a person aged between 10 and 14 and one count of indecently assaulting a child.
Amon was facing his second trial at the NSW Supreme Court after a different jury acquitted him in March of eight other child sexual offending charges but failed to reach verdicts on the two counts decided on Friday.
The charges stemmed from his interactions with the 13-year-old boy, whom he met through an adults-only website, the court heard.
Amon had maintained his innocence, claiming he honestly and reasonably believed the boy was older than 16.
The original trial heard that the boy had falsely stated his age when registering on a gay dating app and later when communicating with Amon.
The court was also told that the two exchanged explicit images before meeting in 2017 in the car park of the boy's apartment building.
At the time of his initial contact with the boy, Amon was working full-time for Jason Falinski, the federal MP for Mackellar. He later served two terms on Northern Beaches Council before being elected as the Liberal MP for the state seat of Pittwater in 2023.
The charges ended his political career, leading to his expulsion from the Liberal Party and resignation following his election in March 2023.
His departure had political implications for the state Liberals, who subsequently lost the formerly safe Pittwater seat to a teal independent in a by-election.
Amon remains on bail and is expected to return to court on November 27 for sentencing.
He is the third former NSW MP to be convicted of sexual offences in recent years.
Former Kiama MP and Coalition minister Gareth Ward was jailed in 2025 for sexually abusing two young men, including a parliamentary staffer who was intoxicated following an event at NSW Parliament House. His minimum three-year-and-nine-month prison term expires in April 2029.
Former NSW minister Milton Orkopoulos was convicted in 2023 of 26 offences involving the sexual abuse of four underage boys and supplying them with drugs over a decade ending in 2003.
He had previously served more than a decade in prison for offences including the sexual assault of a minor, indecent assault and supplying heroin and cannabis.
