As his cocaine addiction “spiraled out of control,” former NRL player Brett Finch acknowledges feeling embarrassed for distributing child sexual assault material in an effort to get it.
After entering a plea of guilty to one count of using a carriage service to transmit, publish, or encourage child abuse in August, Finch is now scheduled to be sentenced in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court.
The 41-year-old said in court on Monday that he left “twisted” phone calls on the gay men’s dating site FastMeet because he believed “hypersexualized” users may be a final choice for obtaining narcotics.
Finch said to the court, “I was disappointed in myself that I would leave these messages in the goal of getting narcotics.” “Those were inappropriate comments for me to have said. I now regret it. I feel nauseous right now.
Finch said the court that his primary intention in leaving the messages was to get cocaine and claimed to have learned about the service via ties with drug dealers.
Before resorting to FastMeet in despair, he said that during the Covid-19 outbreak, dealers were not on the roads and that he had tried every dealer on his phone.
Mike Smith, a defense attorney, questioned Finch, “Have you ever had a sexual interest in children?”
Never, said Finch.
After receiving a response from a user “who wanted to take me up” and mentioning “granddaughters,” the retired football player ceased using the line in early 2021, the court heard.
After hearing the response, Finch realized his actions would encourage child exploitation.
He told the judge, “I was mortified. It made me completely ill.”
“I told him right away to f*** off and that he was a nasty f***.
I just wanted to choke the man over the phone.
Finch said that leaving the messages in the hopes of finding cocaine made him feel humiliated and disgusted.
“During that time, my drug usage really got out of hand,” he said.
In spite of looking for 300 jobs, Finch had now “lost everything,” was receiving assistance from Centrelink, and was jobless.
I can see why no one wants to approach me, he remarked.
Finch was detained in December 2021 as one of eight individuals suspected of participating in a phone conversation line where police allegedly discussed and traded materials related to child sexual assault.
In August, six further accusations against Finch were dropped.
Finch participated in three State of Origin matches for New South Wales and won a championship with the Melbourne Storm in 2009.
His defining moment occurred when he scored the game-winning field goal for the Blues in the 2006 Origin opener.
Finch has struggled with mental health concerns and drug misuse in his life beyond football. He has spoken out in public about his issues.
Before retiring and becoming a pundit for Fox Sports and the Nine Network, the 2004 Dally M Halfback of the Year played in 270 NRL games and 60 English Super League games.
After Finch entered a guilty plea to the criminal allegation, his attorney Paul McGirr told AAP that Finch’s wrongdoing was motivated by mental health difficulties.
He said outside of court that “it is understandable to the situation he was in at that moment, as opposed to the one he’s in today undergoing continuing therapy for his mental health.”