NRL star accused of using homosexual hotline to discuss child abuse, police allege
One of eight men, including former NRL star Brett Finch, who have been accused of discussing child abuse over a homosexual sex hotline, has broken his silence.
Police & Courts
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One of eight men, including former NRL star Brett Finch, who have been accused of discussing child abuse over a homosexual sex hotline, has broken his silence.
Henri Niezner, 72, was arrested last December as part of a police investigation into the sharing of child abuse material through the adult phone service, which markets as a “anonymous, safe and fast way to meet other like-minded guys”.
Police allege Finch, who is currently on bail, called the line on two occasions last November, twice last December and once in January 2021.
Sources said it would be alleged the phone calls made by Finch included comments about young boys.
Many of the former NSW State of Origin player’s alleged interactions occurred in the early hours of the morning between midnight and 4.50am.
Finch’s lawyer has said he will defend the five counts of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse.
The 40-year-old has not yet entered a plea to the charges, with the matter back before the Sutherland Local Court on February 24.
Niezner has been charged with using the carriage service to transmit child abuse in a 10-minute phone call on December 1, 2020.
On Wednesday, the Petersham man told The Daily Telegraph he searched Google for a chat service to meet women during lockdown but after struggling to find one that was free, he settled on the homosexual chat line.
Struggling with depression and alcohol abuse, Mr Niezner said he would use the phone service up to four times a week at one point, as a form of “escapism”.
He said he did not know any of the other men charged, including Finch, because the chat line was anonymous.
Mr Niezner said he was not a paedophile and had not sought out child abuse material.
“I didn’t mean to offend or upset or hurt anybody,” he said.
Mr Niezner is on bail to appear next at the Downing Centre Local Court on March 22.
Six other men have been charged as part of the Strike Force Hank ongoing investigation by the NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.
“We will allege that each of the men arrested by detectives over the past month expressed desires to engage in sexual activity with children and, in some cases, attempted to access child abuse material from other users of the service,” Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty said.
“Producing, disseminating or possessing child abuse material are serious offences and detectives will continue to dismantle these types of operations, so children are free from harmful situations, exploitation and abuse.”
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