May charged over sex tapes; standdown possible
SYDNEY: Penrith’s Tyrone May has been charged under revenge porn laws and faces the possibility of being stood down by the NRL.
The Panthers playmaker yesterday turned himself into police in relation to the game’s latest sex tape scandal as the NRL’s offseason from hell hit a new low.
He declined to be interviewed but was charged with two counts of recording an intimate image without consent and two counts of disseminating an image with out consent.
Under New
South Wales’ revenge porn laws, offenders face up to three years in jail and an
$A11,000
($NZ11,400) fine.
The NRL will consider whether to stand down the Samoan international under its new behavioural policy, which was given the green light by the ARL Commission last week.
‘‘What I’ve seen is a lot of stupidity. What today tells me is that it’s gone from stupidity to being illegal,’’ NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg said.
The May tapes were released on the internet last Friday before another video involving two other Penrith players was released on Monday.
It is understood the NRL has interviewed a former Panthers player as it seeks to identify how the tapes were released.
‘‘If we can find ways to get to the bottom of those people distributing it, that becomes a police matter,’’ Greenberg said.
It is alleged May filmed two women without their knowledge while he engaged in sexual acts at Coffs Harbour and Kingswood in western Sydney last year.
Both women were unaware they were being filmed and did not consent to the recording or its distribution.
They were made aware of the videos by friends and family over recent days and complained to police.
May has been granted bail and will face Penrith local court on May 1.
‘‘The devastation the victims have experienced through the criminal conduct of someone else has significant ramifications for the future for them, for their relationships, for their family, for their own selfconfidence, their own self esteem. It’s a humiliating thing that can become public,’’ Detective Superintendent Brett McFadden said.
Under rules approved by the game’s independent commission last week, Rugby League Central can automatically sideline players charged with crimes which carry a jail term of 11 years or more.
Greenberg also has the discretion to stand down a player charged with a less serious offence. — AAP