Former basketball referee and volunteer Nathan Aaron Wieland facing 28 new charges dating back to 2014
A former elite umpire was allegedly grooming teenage boys while also appearing on national TV and winning SA referee of the year.
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A former elite basketball referee and longtime volunteer was allegedly grooming teenage boys and sexually abusing them while appearing on national tv refereeing NBL games and in the same year that he won South Australian referee of the year.
On Tuesday within the sport Nathan Aaron Wieland, 45, of Ingle Farm had 28 new child sex charges laid against him relating to seven young men.
He was already facing 10 charges of child sexual abuse.
The details of those charges reveal that he was allegedly grooming young men by sending them messages as well as sexually assaulting at the same time he was traveling Australia refereeing NBL games.
In 2014 - the same year Mr Wieland was awarded referee of the year by the Central Australia Basketball League, now known as NBL One Central, he was allegedly grooming a teenage boy.
On Tuesday, Amy Fisher, prosecuting, told the Magistrates Court a new set of charges had been laid against Mr Wieland.
He now faces an additional 28 charges alleged to have been committed in suburbs across Adelaide, bringing the total to 38 charges.
The earliest charges date back to 2014.
His new charges include 14 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child under 14, eight counts of communicating with a child to make them amenable to sexual activity and three counts each of sexual abuse of a child and procuring a child for sexual activity.
Ms Fisher told Chief Magistrate Judge Mary-Louise Hribal that detectives were still combing through electronic evidence and required several months to confirm the charges.
On a separate court file, Mr Wieland faces another 10 charges relating to an unknown number of victims.
Mr Wieland is a former NBL and WNBL referee who spent years working as a volunteer with Basketball SA.
He served as an officiating manager for Basketball SA and also lists several schools as former workplaces.
In July this year, Basketball SA chief executive Tim Brenton wrote to the hundreds of Basketball SA members – including parents and players – informing them a volunteer had been stood down.
He said the volunteer had been charged with unlawful sexual intercourse with a child and making a child amenable to sexual activity.
“The volunteer has been directed not to attend any Basketball South Australia stadium or recreation centre where children and young people frequent,” Mr Brenton said in an email.
“The volunteer has been directed to not contact any Basketball South Australia staff, employee, member, Stadium Service Officer, referee, referee coach, basketball coach, basketball assistant coach, team manager, administrator, player, technical official, volunteer, or any other role and/or position associated with Basketball South Australia in any capacity whatsoever.
“This includes all social, junior and senior competitions, programs and the NBL1 League.”
Mr Wieland has remained in custody since first being arrested. He planned to apply for bail during a hearing in July, but withdrew the application after more charges were laid against him.
He will appear again in court in January next year.
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