The charges relate to an alleged assault of a woman in a Fortitude Valley bar in Brisbane on December 21, 2022.
Mr Robati, 22, is yet to enter any formal plea before court but has previously denied the allegations.He remains on bail and was not required to attend when the matter was briefly mentioned ahead of the trial in Brisbane District Court on Tuesday.In February, Judge Paul Smith granted an application for the alleged victim to be treated as a special witness.
The woman will pre-record her evidence and be cross-examined by Mr Robati’s barrister ahead of the trial.A special witness can be declared by the court if a person due to give evidence is likely to suffer severe emotional trauma or be so intimidated as to be disadvantaged as a witness. After the New Zealand-born rugby league player was charged, he was axed by the Brisbane Broncos in February 2023 before the NRL season started.
Robati made his NRL debut in 2021 and has appeared in 17 NRL games. He also represented the Maori All Stars in 2022.