FOUL PLAY: Former Perth Wildcats player Andrew Vlahov’s shocking revelation about ‘Tiny’ Pinder’s past

Former Perth Wildcats player and owner Andrew Vlahov has revealed that his friends were among the women harassed by the team’s disgraced star player Kendal “Tiny” Pinder. Pinder, who won two NBL championships with the Wildcats, is currently facing fresh sexual assault charges and is back behind bars after spending the past 30 years going in and out of jail for rape offences. He was convicted three times in WA between 1992 and 1993. Vlahov, Pinder’s former teammate, has recently opened up about finding out that two of his female friends had also been badgered by the serial-rapist. “Post his troubles, we started to hear a lot more,” Mr Vlahov told The West Australian. “Certainly some other females had come forward. In fact, two of my friends came forward. They said I didn’t know how to tell you this but I had a Tiny Pinder incident.” The women had told Vlahov that Pinder had aggressively pursued them and “would not take no for an answer”. “I didn’t find that out until three or four years after he first went to prison,” the retired basketball star said. “They were 17 and in similar situations, but two different (incidents). Tiny put his arms on either side of them and wouldn’t let them leave, he tried to kiss them. And they were very uncomfortable. “Luckily for them, they were able to exit that situation.” Former Perth model Tina Bower, who made a complaint to the police nearly two decades after she claimed Pinder had sexually assaulted her in 1987, said she believes there are other victims. “I definitely think there are other women who have not come forward about Pinder — I know one of them,” she said. Ms Bower’s case went to judge-alone trial in 2016 but Pinder was acquitted. While Judge John Staude accepted there was “a sexual encounter”, he could not be satisfied it was rape. He said he did not think Ms Bower’s account was “wholly fabricated” but thought it was generally unreliable, as it had been inconsistent. The now 53-year-old said she was glad she spoke up, despite not getting the result she hoped for, and encouraged others to as well. “I know what happened to me,” she said. “I know that this happens to women and they’re too scared to come forward. But I don’t want to see another 16, 17, 18-year-old girl attacked and too scared to tell anyone. “It’s a painful thing to open up about what happened to you all those years ago but women need to stand up now and show other sporting elites and powerful people that they won’t go quiet.” WATCH Foul Play: The Tiny Pinder Story on thewest.com.au