Exiled Panthers winger Taylan May has had all domestic violence charges against him dropped, leaving him open to an NRL return.
The charges were dropped after his wife, who May was accused of punching in the face and telling “I hate you so much that I wouldn’t care if I killed you”, and her sister did not attend court to provide evidence.
23-year-old May had previously pleaded not guilty to domestic violence related charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of stalking or intimidation with intent to cause physical harm and two counts of contravening an apprehended violence order (AVO).
May was accused of punching his wife in the right eye, striking her on the forehead and telling her: “I’ll come after you. I’ll come after your family because they can’t keep their mouths shut. You deserve everything that’s coming to you”.
May was arrested a second time after he was accused of breaching the conditions of the AVO against him when he went grocery shopping with his wife in August last year.
May’s wife had previously applied to have the conditions of the AVO changed so she could contact her husband in relation to their children and at the time indicated she wanted to withdraw the charges, which did not occur.
May’s barrister Phillip Boulten SC alleged that police had been “all over” May in the 24 hours leading up to the hearing, having stopped him six times.
“Enough is enough in my submission. Can we just allow these people to move on?” Boulten said.
Magistrate Stephen Corry denied requests by the prosecution to adjourn the matter to allow for the witnesses to be located and present in court, saying he did not believe they would attend at a later date.
“I can’t see the position would be any different [at a later court date],” Corry said.
The case heavily relied on the testimony of the two women and without their evidence the prosecution withdrew the charges against May.
An AVO will remain in place against May for an additional six months.
Magistrate Corry also directed NSW Police to pay over $19,000 of May’s legal costs after he determined the two charges of breaching an AVO were not properly investigated.
NSW Police were also told to pay an additional $1,800 for unnecessarily adjourning the case.
May was stood down under the NRL’s no-fault policy last year after the charges were laid.
Now that the charges have been officially withdrawn, the ARLC Chair Peter V’Landys confirmed the 23-year-old was cleared to return to the game effective immediately.
“Now that there is no pending charge, he’s free to play. The no-fault stand down policy is always on police charge,” V’Landys told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“The police charges have been dropped. He was stood down until the matter is concluded. It is now concluded. He’s free to play.”
May smiled as he left court surrounded by brother Terrell May and other supporters after the charges were dropped but refused to comment on the matter.
He also posted on his Instagram before attending court with a quote that read “a man’s true character is revealed by how he treats those who can do nothing for him”.
After the charges were dropped he went live on his Instagram to announce something was dropping at 7pm across all his platforms.
May and the Penrith Panthers parted ways by mutual agreement in July last year.
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.