A man who alleges he was abused as a child by former NSW Labor minister Milton Orkopoulos has told a court he got an apology and received an envelope with $1,000 cash in the letterbox after he claims he was first touched.
Mr Orkopoulos is standing trial in Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on 28 charges relating to four boys, including alleged child sex abuse and drug supply offences.
It is alleged the offences took place in the Lake Macquarie area and on the Mid-North Coast between 1993 and 2003.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
An alleged victim today told the court he was 13 when he first started getting cigarettes from Mr Orkopoulos.
Bongs and 'greening out'
The man alleged after several visits to Mr Orkopoulos's Swansea electorate office, things progressed to smoking cannabis bongs.
He said he was first touched on his genitals when he was 14, after "smoking too much and greening out".
"I was sweating heaps, I felt like I was going to spew," he told the court.
Crown prospector Cate Dodds then asked, "Did Milton do anything for you?" to which the victim said:
"He put his hands down my pants, as I was greening out. He sat next to me and was trying to reassure me that everything was all right.
"I wanted him to open the door, I pulled away, I tried to open the door myself, then he unlocked it."
The man said he was "in shock", left the office and cried, before going home to sleep.
Envelope full of cash
The man said in the days after the alleged abuse, a family member handed him an envelope that he said had been left in the letterbox with his name on it.
It did not say who the sender was.
"I went upstairs to my bedroom, it had $1,000 in it, in $50 notes," he said.
"I was, I was very surprised."
When Ms Dodds asked what he did with the money, he said he bought drugs.
"I wopped school and I smoked pot, every day for a week."
The man said he shared the drugs with his friends and also bought cigarettes.
'He may have said sorry'
After that, the man told the court he avoided Mr Orkopoulos's office until one day he had "run out of money' and asked him for a cigarette.
"I think he may have said sorry at some stage. He asked me about the envelope as well," he said.
The man said he assumed the apology related to Mr Orkopoulos allegedly touching his penis.
The alleged victim told the court that afterwards, they went into the former minister's office and "smoked bongs".
The man said at the time, Mr Orkopoulos also asked him if he had ever "been shot up with heroin", to which he replied no.
When cross-examining the man, defence barrister Paul Johnson disputed his allegations.
He put it to the man that he had never told Mr Orkopoulos his address, to which the man said "I don't remember".
"I would suggest to you that Milton never gave your or any boy who was with you a cigarette," Mr Johnson said.
"I am putting to you that those events never happened, there were never any cases of sexual assault by Mr Orkopoulos and cash was never paid."
The man rejected the barrister's propositions.
"I would say you are wrong," the man said.
Mr Orkopoulos strenuously denies all charges.
The trial, before Judge Jane Culver continues.
