On 16 June 2012 The Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers published a lengthy investigation by journalist Mark Whittaker asserting that the father of the alleged victim had a long history of fraud. The "victim's" sister was quoted saying, "I'm not a footy fan but I felt for Brett Stewart because I felt, 'My father's tearing another innocent person's life apart.' He sees money signs around Brett. A perfect target ... My father just screws everyone's life that walks past him. It's terrible."