Finch pleads guilty to child abuse material charges

DISGRACED former NRL star Brett Finch used an online sex chat service to send sick messages about fantasies of having sex with a 12-year-old boy, court documents have revealed.

The former NSW State of Origin hero has endured a stunning fall from grace and on Tuesday he stood in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, where he pleaded guilty to one child abuse material charge.

Looking gaunt and wearing a grey suit, he stood in the back of courtroom 5.5, where his lawyer Paul McGirr entered a guilty plea on his behalf.

According to a statement of agreed facts signed by Finch, between November 2020 and January 2021, he used the “FastMeet” chat service to talk to other users about wanting to have sex with pubescent and teenage boys.

Many of the shocking messages are too graphic to print.

His dramatic downfall was put in motion when Victorian Police arrested Robert Bray, a convicted child sex offender, and began investigating his use of “FastMeet” to exchange child abuse material with other users.

Police identified other users who had used the chat and voice service to exchange child abuse material and NSW Police launched Strike Force Hank.

Over the course of three months, Finch sent other users graphic descriptions of sexual acts he wanted to perform on teenagers and young boys.

Finch, 40, was arrested when police raided his Sans Souci home around 6.50am on December 14 last year.

He was charged with five counts of using a carriage service to make available child abuse material.

He had an additional two charges laid earlier in the year.

However, police on Tuesday dropped six of the charges and his lawyer Paul McGirr entered a guilty plea to one count of using a carriage service to make available child abuse material.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

He also told officers that he never engaged in sexual activity with children.

Finch will remain on bail and is due to appear before a sentence hearing in the District Court in September before he later learns whether he will be jailed.