Water polo star abused minor earlier than racist intercourse assault lawsuit: new report

A water polo participant accused of sexually abusing and racially harassing a teammate at an elite Los Angeles faculty had beforehand been convicted of sexually assaulting one other teammate, court docket information reveal.

The accused athlete, Lucca van der Woude, admitted in juvenile court docket to sexual penetration of a minor with a international object, and was ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution in November 2024, in response to court docket information reviewed by the Every day Mail.

Van der Woude was arrested on Harvard-Westlake’s campus in February 2024 after one other guardian complained to police that their son had additionally been abused, the outlet reported.

By that point 17, he was ordered to finish probation and pay $50,000 in restitution underneath a plea cope with Los Angeles County prosecutors that dropped a extra critical cost — the restitution stays unpaid, per the outlet.

Van der Woude didn’t reply to The Put up’s request for remark.

The household of a black water polo participant, Aidan Romain, who says he was sexually abused and racially harassed by van der Woude on the elite Harvard-Westlake Faculty was compelled to promote their beloved six-bedroom $5 million Bel Air mansion after pulling him out of the college and sending him to Europe, in response to the Every day Mail.

Romain’s mother and father bought their six-bedroom, seven-bathroom house in 2024 after withdrawing their son from Harvard-Westlake and relocating him abroad so he may proceed coaching and education away from the alleged abuse, the outlet reported.

The six-bedroom Bel Air property bought in November 2024 for $5,149,000, in response to Redfin. The 4,900-square-foot house sits on a greater than 21,000-square-foot lot and options facilities together with a sport room with a surround-sound theater setup, a pool, basketball court docket and a personal balcony off the first suite, the itemizing exhibits.

Romain says he was subjected to months of racial harassment and sexual abuse by van der Woude whereas each had been college students on the unique Los Angeles faculty, in response to a lawsuit filed final week.

The accused water polo phenom is the son of a Hollywood director who has labored on blockbuster movies together with “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Forged Away.”

The lawsuit additionally claims van der Woude as soon as joked in entrance of coaches that he contracted conjunctivitis after “digitally penetrating his teammates earlier than rubbing his eyes,” in response to the grievance cited by the Every day Mail.

Romain finally left the US to proceed enjoying water polo in Europe after being withdrawn from Harvard-Westlake amid the alleged abuse.

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