Dane Swan makes police complaint over leaked sex video
COLLINGWOOD AFL great Dane Swan has personally contacted Twitter users threatening legal action unless they remove footage of him involved in a naked sex romp from their feeds. Swan released a statement last night saying distribution of the video was a “gross breach” of his privacy.
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COLLINGWOOD Great Dane Swan begged police to stop leaked footage of him involved in a naked sex romp circulating, arguing he is a victim of revenge porn.
The six-second video, which shows the Brownlow medallist in bed with a woman, has been circulating on social media for days.
In the brief but steamy home movie, the pair can be seen kissing and Swan appears to try to hide his head after seeing his bed partner recording their tryst.
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The woman can be heard giggling and smiling as she runs the phone camera over his naked body.
Swan released a statement on Thursday night: “I have recently become aware of a video of me being published and circulated on the internet.
“Contrary to some media reports, the video is not a ‘sex tape’. Although the video was taken a long time ago, it has been posted and distributed only recently. It was taken and distributed without my consent. The distribution is a gross breach of my privacy.
“As it is illegal to distribute such material online without consent I have reported the matter to the police who are investigating the distribution.
“As the matter is under investigation I have no further comment at this time and I ask that my privacy be respected.”
It is unclear when the footage was taken. But since it surfaced publicly, Swan has personally contacted Twitter users threatening legal action and to call police unless their comments and the video images were removed from their Twitter feeds.
“Take it down now,” he ordered in one tweet to a man who had retweeted the raunchy video.
Swan, 34, who retired from footy in 2016, attended Prahran police station on Wednesday after learning the video was spreading via social media and texts.
It is understood police told him that it would be difficult to prevent wider distribution of the film clip, and that he needed to make a formal complaint for an investigation to begin.
Victoria Police are now probing the sex footage. “Prahran police are investigating after a video was distributed electronically and online,” spokeswoman Alex Day said.
“The video was posted without consent. As the investigation is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
The Herald Sun spoke to a woman believed to be in the footage with Swan. She denied it, but admitted she had met him.
Swan and his American girlfriend, Taylor Wilson, have been in a relationship for about 10 years. Last year, he posted a series of images on social media of them holidaying at exotic locations around the world.
Friends of Swan on Thursday night said the latest scandal had placed strains on their relationship. Sources close to the player say he was very “stressed”.
Footy great Sam Newman said it was “disgraceful” the video of Swan had been made public, branding it “about the most dishonest thing” a person could do.
“He has done absolutely nothing wrong,” Newman told 3AW.
“The only person he has to square anything away with, like any of these things, are his closest friends or partner or whatever.’’
He said the law should “come down heavily’’ on anyone circulating such material.
Police could use “sexting” laws to charge people who have sent the video.
Under Victorian law, it is illegal to show or send a message of a person if they did not agree to the image — including a person’s intimate body parts, or them engaged in a sex act — being distributed. The offence carries a maximum penalty of up to two years in prison.
The tape appears to have come into circulation via social media.
It is the second time Swan has been involved in a video sex scandal.
The 2011 Brownlow winner sent a graphic video, sexually charged texts and full-frontal nude pictures to a woman in 2016 and they were later leaked to the media.
It is the latest nude furore to hit the AFL.
A photo of a bare-breasted woman wearing a Richmond premiership medal went viral last year after the Tigers’ triumph.
The photo was widely distributed after Tigers defender Nathan Broad sent it to mates on instant messaging service WhatsApp. He was suspended for the first three matches of 2018 after admitting distributing the shot.
Swan’s former Collingwood premiership teammate, Travis Cloke, sent a video and nude pictures of himself to a woman, and that, too, was leaked to the media in 2016.
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ANYONE who forwarded by text or via social media the six-second clip of Collingwood legend Dane Swan engaged in a sex romp has left themselves open to criminal charges.
Victoria was the first state to introduce a “sexting” offence in 2014, making it illegal to show or send a message of a person if they did not agree to the image being distributed. It covers photos of an explicit nature, including engaging in a sex act or a person’s intimate body parts, including female breasts.
It also states “the distribution of the image is contrary to community standards of acceptable conduct”.
Under the law, anyone who sent the video or screen grabs — regardless of if they took the photo — can be charged even if they did not send the original text or social media post.
Punishment for the offence of distributing the photos carries a maximum penalty of up to two years’ jail and a conviction can be recorded.
Those who threaten to distribute an image without the person’s consent can be jailed for up to one year. The changes to the law also mean those aged 18 years old who send or receive such lewd images, would not be guilty of child pornography.
Police probing the case of the Swan footage could also use the Commonwealth offence “using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence”. If found guilty, the charge has a maximum jail term of three years.
Former Victoria Police “cyber cop” Susan McLean, who was part of the committee who overhauled Victoria’s sexting laws, said it did not matter if the victim was male or female — the law was the same.
“It’s a sad indictment of society that they think this behaviour is acceptable,” she said. “Why did they think this is a good idea? The trust between the two (in the video) has been betrayed.”
She urged anyone who was a victim to come forward.
“This is a perfect example of a male who is the victim and the law is here to protect anybody who is a victim,” she said
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