A former top athlete threatened to post nude photos of a woman on her social media and then send the pictures to the phone of a relative of the victim, a court has heard.
The name of the man, who represented New Zealand at international level, cannot be released due to a suppression order.
He appeared in New Plymouth District Court on Thursday where he pleaded guilty to three charges of posting an intimate visual recording without consent.
The man repeatedly sent nude photos of the woman, along with insulting messages, despite her asking him to stop and delete the images, according to a police report of the incident.
Starting on May 23, he began sending consensual nude photos of the woman, along with a message that he had many photos of her that were “worth sharing” on her social media accounts.
A week later, he sent a nude photo of the woman to her relative’s phone, but with the intention that the photo would only be seen by the woman and not the relative.
He also sent a message saying he ‘liked’ the photo, New Zealand Herald reported.
Despite the woman asking him to stop and delete the images, the man continued to send nude photos of her, including one that read: ‘“Too bad you’re crazy about nice tits.”
A former New Zealand athlete has confessed to sending nude photos of a woman to her without her consent (stock image)
Between June 5 and 8, the man sent more messages and at least two more nude photos to the relative’s phone.
During that time, the woman asked him twice to remove the images, telling the man that his behavior was inappropriate.
He replied that she shouldn’t have shared the photos with him.
District Court Judge Tony Greig ordered a pre-sentence report and referred the case to the restorative justice department
He warned the man that he might soon have to wear an ankle monitor as a result of the violation.
Despite the woman asking the man to stop sending the images and delete them, he continued to bombard her phone with photos and messages (stock image)
Judge Greig added that both house arrest and community service would be considered.
The man’s name will remain secret until his sentencing on November 28, under the current decision.
Defence lawyer Nathan Bourke told the court that an application for permanent name suppression would likely be made.
