Philippoussis faces 14 sex-offence counts

The details on the charges to be brought against former tennis star Mark Philipoussis’s father Nick in San Diego are worse than feared.

According to multiple media reports, including News Corp Australia, Nick Philippoussis will face 14 counts of sex offenses against minors.

Two of those are accusations of “lewd and lascivious” sexual acts with a child younger than 10 years old.

The reports says the investigation came in the wake of two complaints made to the San Diego police. A “short but intensive” effort followed from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Central Investigations Unit.

Spokesperson Greg Rylaarsdam said they are not identifying the gender of the children at this time, or their ages – they’re saying “younger than 14 – to protect the alleged victims.

Philippoussis’s son Mark is in San Diego, but had no comment in response to questions from a NewCorp journalist who went to his home.

Investigation followed complaints

He said that typically, alleged perpetrators are interviewed before they are arrested but in this case, the investigation went went forward without Nick Philippoussis’s knowledge, and led to the arrest.

NewCorp reports that Nick Philippoussis is in a segregated unit in San Diego Central Jail, because of the nature of the complaints. The formal reading of the charges will come Friday.

Bail is set at $2.5 million US. Nick Philippoussis (or his family) would have to come up with that value in collateral, or have a bondsman put up $250,000 in (non-refundable) cash to get out on bail.