Domestic violence charges that kept ex-Panthers star Taylan May out of the NRL have been dropped after the wife he was accused of punching did not show up to court.
The formal withdrawal of the allegations on Monday opens the door for a team to register him with the league again and follows reports at least one Sydney club is interested in signing the former Penrith winger.
It will cost taxpayers more than $20,000 to pay part of May's legal fees after costs were awarded against the prosecution.
The 23-year-old had pleaded not guilty to domestic violence-related charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of stalking and intimidation over alleged incidents in April and May.
The allegations included he punched his wife in the eye.
May played 30 NRL games for the Penrith Panthers after debuting in 2021 and represented Samoa at the Rugby League World Cup in 2022.
But he has been out of the game since criminal charges were laid.
He was stood down under the NRL's no-fault policy and then released by the Panthers in July after threatening to sue the club for trying to terminate his contract.
May was on bail ahead of a scheduled hearing in Penrith Local Court on Monday.
But the woman he was accused of assaulting did not turn up to court and neither did her sister, a key witness in the prosecution case.
While a medical certificate was provided by the witness to explain her absence, police were unable to contact the complainant.
Prosecutors tried to adjourn the case, but May's barrister Phillip Boulten SC argued the circumstances were unlikely to change if there was another court date.
"There is no suggestion … that my client has been guilty of putting pressure on her," Mr Boulten said.
"Enough is enough. Can we just allow these people to move on? It's not going to be different next time."
Refusing the adjournment request, Magistrate Stephen Corry said it was possible to infer the alleged victim had chosen not to come to court.
"I can't see there's any prospect that the position would be any different on the next occasion," he said.
The decision prompted prosecutors to withdraw the charges.
May remains subject to an apprehended violence order for six months.
Allegations he twice breached an earlier order were also dropped after the court was told it had been amended to allow contact under certain conditions.
May's legal fees from defending the alleged breaches will cost taxpayers $18,900 after costs were awarded against the prosecution when the magistrate ruled police should have investigated further.
Another $1800 in costs were awarded for court dates when subpoenaed material was not produced.
May's wife had indicated in July, when seeking to have AVO conditions changed, she wanted the charges dropped, Mr Boulten said.
Nevertheless, police "went into overdrive" about the alleged breaches and had been "all over (May)" in the lead-up to his court appearance, the barrister said.
"He's been stopped six times by police in the last 24 hours," Mr Boulten said.
A representative of the NRL integrity unit observed the proceedings.
An unnamed Sydney-based club had recently expressed interest in signing May, it was reported earlier in March.
His older brother Terrell May plays for the Wests Tigers.
May did not comment as he left court, smiling from the passenger seat of a supporter's black BMW as they drove away.
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