12 yrs for rugby player's planned sexual assault
An Australian man who played for a Melbourne gay rugby team has been sentenced to twelve years in jail by a Los Angeles judge for trying to arrange to sexually assault a six-year old boy.
Michael Quinn
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Michael Quinn, who played for the Melbourne Chargers, was traveling to the Bingham Cup international gay rugby tournament earlier this year when he tried to pay for sex with a boy. Unknown to Quinn his internet conversations had been intercepted by law enforcement authorities who set up a LA hotel sting operation, posing as pedophiles offering a boy for $US250.
Quinn appeared in shackles for the sentencing and tearfully pleaded to be let off the charge. His lawyers had offered in mitigation that Quinn was affected by a methamphetamine addiction and had never tried to sexually assault a boy before.
The judge referred to his attempts to procure the boy as “absolutely disgusting”, “ghastly” and “despicable.”