Saints photo storm: second explicit photo published
Scott Spits
December 20, 2010 - 4:55PMA second explicit photo of a St Kilda AFL footballer has been uploaded to a teenage girl's public Facebook profile.
The Saints are attempting to contain the distribution of the photos, the first of which featured two players and was discovered this morning.
But several hours after the first image was revealed, the same Facebook account published another photograph involving a third Saints player.
The girl behind the photographs told radio station 3AW this afternoon she had 21 photos of footballers and planned to upload them all.
St Kilda said officials were liaising with Victoria Police over the first photograph, which they believe was sourced illegally. The club has not yet commented on the second picture.
"The club can confirm that the image was not distributed with the players’ consent,’’ the club said.
‘‘The club can also confirm that the photo was not taken by the person responsible for posting it online and believes that it was obtained illegally.
"As the matter is subject to discussions between St Kilda Football Club, Victoria Police and its legal representatives, the club is not in a position to make any further comment at this stage."
The AFL Players Association has expressed its outrage at the publication of the photos, saying players ‘‘have a right to have their privacy protected’’.
‘‘Players are outraged at the gross invasion of privacy committed today. They are sick and tired of being seen as ‘fair game’ by some in the community,’’ the statement said.
‘‘This latest incident adds further weight to calls for stronger legal protection for high-profile people who are subjected to these kinds of seemingly malicious actions."
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said they were aware of the original photo but said it was a civil matter between the two parties.
"We are aware of the situation in regards to Facebook and we have been advised by the court this is a civil matter between the parties involved."