A 12th-grade athlete at an elite private school has pleaded guilty to charges of filming a younger boy in the showers and sharing the video without the victim’s knowledge.
Police arrested the 18-year-old in dramatic scenes at the Newington College campus in Stanmore, in Sydney’s central west, on Thursday night.
The school is understood to have called police after being informed that the student from central-west New South Wales had inappropriate videos on his phone.
The teenager is believed to have filmed a child without protection and then sent the video to several people on social media.
The talented athlete attended the university as a boarding student on an athletic scholarship.
Due to the arrest, the boy was forced to withdraw from a highly anticipated sporting engagement last weekend, The Telegraph newspaper reported.
The teenager appeared at Newtown Local Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to distributing child abuse material.
Magistrate Michael O’Brien sentenced the boy to an 18-month custodial release order and said no conviction would be recorded.
A sports star at a prestigious private school has pleaded guilty to charges of filming a younger boy in the showers and sharing the video without the victim’s knowledge.
A warrant has also been issued for his arrest to protect the victim.
A letter sent by Assistant Principal Andy Quinane informed the boarding community about last Friday’s incident.
“The school has worked closely with families, staff and police overnight in response to an incident involving three friends… earlier in the week. All of the boys are safe and protecting their wellbeing is our priority as we move forward,” the letter said.
It is understood that the 18-year-old is no longer a boarder at the school, but remains enrolled as an external student.
The 12-year-old was a boarding student on a sporting scholarship at Newington College in Sydney’s inner-west.
This comes after two students were expelled from Newington College after they were allegedly found in possession of drugs while on a school camp.
A spokesman for Newington College, one of Sydney’s top private boys’ schools, said two students were found to be in possession of a “THC-based product”.
“The school launched a thorough investigation at the end of last term, and these investigations will continue when students return to school for the second term,” the spokesperson said.
