NRL star Brett Finch left shocking voice messages about teen sex on gay hotline

NRL star Brett Finch fantasised about having sex with a 12-year-old boy in disturbing voice messages he sent via an online sex chat service.

The retired footballer pleaded guilty in Sydney‘s Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday to sharing child abuse material on the ‘FastMeet’ hotline. 

Messages 40-year-old Finch left on the service were revealed in an agreed statement of facts tendered to court – which includes material too vile to publish.

‘Yeah how you going mate?’ Finch asked in one message sent in November 2020.

‘My name is Brad, 35, masculine build, married. Love to have a hot chat, talk about real kinky, having a threesome with a nice 16-year-old boy.’ 

In another, Finch said: ‘G’day mate, married guy, 39, muscular bod, would love to be outside, you and me in swimmers, a nice little 16 year old surfer boy comes past.’ 

In December 2020 year Finch sent messages describing his desire to perform sexual acts with a 12-year-old boy. 

After his arrest, Finch told police he had never engaged in sex with minors but might have sent the messages when he was ‘twisted’, according to The Daily Telegraph.  

Finch pleaded guilty through his lawyer McGirr to a single charge of using a carriage service to share child abuse material. He did not ever directly speak to anyone. 

The State of Origin hero, who had faced seven charges before six were withdrawn, will now face sentencing in September at the District Court.

Finch, whose wife Elli is the daughter of Australian Football Hall of Famer and Carlton great Wayne ‘The Dominator’ Johnston, has spoken publicly about his alcohol and drug addictions over the years.

Outside court Mr McGirr told Daily Mail Australia: ‘There’ll be subjective material obtained in relation to my client’s mental health and possible substance abuse problems.’ 

It was alleged that Finch participated in a child abuse chat group and shared illicit material through a gay adult hotline.

Mr McGirr told Daily Mail Australia his client had been ‘swept up’ in a wider police investigation into the activities of other men. 

‘Brett Finch wasn’t the focal point of the investigation and in that particular respect his offending was isolated,’ Mr McGirr said. 

‘He doesn’t know any of the co-accused and didn’t offend for the almost 12 months before he was arrested.’ 

During the Strike Force Hank investigation conducted by the NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad in December 2021, Finch was initially accused of using a carriage service to distribute, publish or promote child abuse material.

As part of the NSW Police Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad’s Strike Force Hank investigation, eight men between 34 and 71 were arrested in raids across Sydney, Coffs Harbour and Shoal Bay, including Finch.

Finch was arrested on December 14 and his Sans Souci home searched in December 2021, with his mobile phone seized. 

In the aftermath of his initial charges, Finch has been on conditional bail that requires him to visit the police once a week, avoid social media, avoid contact with anyone younger than 16 and stay away from places that are known to be visited by children.

He played 330 first-grade matches for the Raiders, Roosters, Eels, Wigan Warriors, and Melbourne Storm in the NRL and English Super League.

In 2009, Finch won the NRL premiership with the Storm, although the title was stripped from them for salary cap violations.

During an injury crisis in State of Origin, he was called up to play for New South Wales and famously kicked the match-winning field goal in game one of the 2006 series.