Victoria Police have seized an audio recording believed to contain accounts of events at the centre of the investigation into alleged sexual assault involving Sydney Swans players.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the recording was taken from a Melbourne home in the days after the alleged incident at the Pullman East Melbourne hotel on August 17.
It is understood to contain detailed recollections from people who were inside the hotel room during the pre-dawn events.
Four Swans players remain persons of interest in the police investigation.
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey and James Jordon have been identified by police as people under investigation after three women alleged they were sexually assaulted.
Another suspended Swans player, Riley Bice, is also being treated as a potential witness.
Retired former Swans player Taylor Adams and another man who was allegedly inside the room are also being treated as witnesses.
The investigation centres on what happened after the Swans defeated Essendon at the MCG on August 16.
The players were alleged to have continued partying before returning to the team hotel, where three women had been engaged as topless waitresses.
A source close to the investigation, who was not authorised to speak publicly, told The Sydney Morning Herald that the recording captured recollections from people who were inside the room at the time.
A second source with knowledge of the events said the audio also contained accounts of what happened in the hotel lobby.
Swans officials, including coach Dean Cox, interacted with some of the women in the lobby after the alleged incident inside the room.
The existence of the recording was first raised with the football club shortly after the hotel incident.
A person who said they were connected to the women told the club that an audio recording existed.
The Swans passed the information to the AFL integrity unit, led by Tony Keane, which then notified Victoria Police.
Victoria Police said on Wednesday that detectives had travelled to Sydney to speak with four of the five Swans players originally connected to the investigation.
Police also said they had identified everyone who was inside the hotel room during the alleged incident.
Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad have spoken with three men who were believed to have been in the room.
Those men are being treated solely as witnesses.
No charges have been laid.
Victoria Police said the investigation was expected to continue for at least another eight weeks, meaning a further update may not come until late October.
The police investigation is separate from disciplinary action taken by the Swans.
The club suspended five players for the remainder of the AFL season after finding they had breached its behavioural standards.
That suspension does not relate to the sexual assault allegations.
The fallout has also put Blakey’s future at the club in question.
The 26-year-old has indicated to associates that he wants to leave Sydney at the end of the season after his relationship with the club deteriorated.
Blakey still has five years remaining on a contract worth more than $1 million a year.
The Swans will continue their finals campaign without the five suspended players.
Sydney faces Brisbane in a qualifying final at the SCG on Saturday, with the winner advancing to a preliminary final.
The suspended players are not expected to attend the match.
Swans chairman Andrew Pridham previously said the club’s decision to suspend the five had “effectively torpedoed our season” after Sydney finished second on the AFL ladder.
Victoria Police declined to provide further details about the investigation.
News24.com.au is not suggesting any criminal wrongdoing by any of the players.
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