Finch,40,faced Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to one count of using a carriage service to make available child abuse material.
Ex-NRL player Brett Finch arriving at court on Tuesday.Oscar Colman
Six other charges of using a carriage service to transmit,publish or promote child abuse were withdrawn.
According to agreed facts,Finch was arrested after police began investigating the online activities of a convicted child sex offender in Victoria,examining a series of chats the offender had been having with Finch and others.
In one of the chats,Finch wrote to the Victorian man that he would “love to have a chat” about a threesome with a 12-year-old boy.
Finch engaged in seven chats on the online platform between November 2020 and December 2021,in which he repeatedly expressed fantasies of wanting to have sexual experiences with boys aged between 12 and 17.
Former NRL player Brett Finch has pleaded guilty to sharing child abuse material.
Using the pseudonym “Brad”,Finch described himself as being married,aged 39,and having a muscular build. He also described his genitals.
On November 19,2020,he wrote to another user of the chat site:“I’d love to be having a threesome right now with you and a sexy 16-year-old boy.”
Brett Finch in the opening match of the 2006 State of Origin series.Steve Christo
When Finch was arrested in December 2021 at his home in Sydney’s south,he told police he had never engaged in sexual activity with children,and if he spoke about children on the online platform it was “not from him starting the conversation”.
He said he no longer used the online platform,had only used it a couple of times,and was on drugs when he was talking about “that stuff”. He also described the online activity as “shit talk”.
Speaking outside court on Tuesday,his lawyer Paul McGirr said Finch had experienced mental health issues.
“It is explainable to the position he was in at that stage,as opposed to the position he’s in now receiving ongoing treatment for his mental health,” McGirr said.
He emphasised that the investigation had not focused on his client,who “doesn’t know any of the co-accused”.
Finch played three State of Origins for NSW in an NRL career that also included three grand finals.
He won a premiership with Melbourne in 2009,but his crowning moment came in the 2006 Origin opener when he kicked a match-winning field goal for the Blues.
His post-football life has been marked by mental health issues and time in rehab,with Finch publicly speaking about his drug use and battles with addiction.
Finch will next face the District Court on September 16,where his matter will be mentioned ahead of sentencing proceedings. He remains on bail.
with AAP
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