NRL star’s sex tape scandal: Home made porn to be aired in court as evidence

The court case of an ex NRL star’s ex wife who is facing revenge porn charges is set to get a little blue, as she intends to argue her distribution of the illicit images was “reasonable”.

Pornographic material featuring a top level NRL player caught in a revenge porn scandal will be aired as evidence in a courtroom.

Pornographic material featuring a top level NRL player caught in the middle of a revenge porn scandal will be aired as evidence in a courtroom.

The ex wife of the player has been charged with illegally distributing and recording intimate images of the rugby league star having sex with his new partner after discovering a collection of compromising pictures and videos in a folder on her iPad.

On Thursday, the court hearing the case was told the pornographic material would be included in material to be aired as evidence when the case goes to hearing next year.

It was also revealed in court that the woman, who has pleaded not guilty to two revenge porn charges, intends to argue that it was “reasonable” for her to distribute and record the images.

Neither the player — who has represented his country — or his ex wife can be identified because of a non-publication order placed on the case by a magistrate.

Children allegedly found the sexual material on an iPad.

Details of the case were revealed after lawyers for this publication last week successfully argued for a non-publication order to be amended.

Police will allege in court that the woman became aware of the sexually explicit material when a friend of her child accidentally opened a folder on her iPad that contained sex videos and pictures featuring the NRL player and his new partner.

The woman’s relationship with the NRL star has ended, but her iPad still had shared to a cloud drive that was set up while she was married to the player.

The player used the cloud drive to store his home made sex tapes and pictures that he recorded with his new partner using one of his devices.

Police will allege in court that the woman was furious upon discovering sexually explicit material could be accessed from her device and that it had been found by one of her child’s young friends.

It will be alleged the woman called the player to berate him and that she threatened to distribute the material.

The player’s identity cannot be revealed due to a non-publication order, nor can his ex wife’s. Picture: Isabella Lettini

The player complained to police and officers searched the woman’s house on October 21 where they discovered she had forwarded an excerpt of the material to a third party.

The woman will argue in court that she forwarded a screen grab to the child’s parent in an attempt to apologise and explain the situation.

In court on Thursday, her lawyer Chris Cole told the magistrate hearing the case that the woman would be defending the charges on the basis that it was “reasonable” for her to have distributed and recorded the images.

Under the state’s laws that deal with revenge porn, there are a number of “exceptions” that can be used as a defence to revenge porn offences, which carry a maximum three year jail term.

One of these exceptions is whether “a reasonable person would consider the conduct of the accused person acceptable” when they distributed or recorded the images.

The test takes into account “the nature and content” of the material, “the circumstances” in which they were “recorded or distributed” and the degree to which the alleged victims’ privacy was impacted.

The woman is facing one charge of intentionally distributing an image without consent and another of intentionally recording an intimate image without consent.

According to court documents, the woman is charged with intentionally recording images and videos of the league star having sex with his new partner on October 17.

The documents said she is also charged with intentionally distributing one of the sex images on the same day.

On Thursday, the case was set down for a two-day hearing in August next year.