Australia: Man who stalked footballer and talked of ‘gay orgy’ jailed
A fake doctor who claimed he organised a “gay orgy” at the family home of an Australian rules football player has been jailed after pleading guilty to stalking.
Scott Raymond Thomas, 35, was jailed for one year and fined $3,000 (£1,293) at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday after pleading guilty to stalking Alex Rance.
The 23-year-old plays for Richmond Football Club (The Tigers) in Melbourne.
AAP reports Thomas befriended Rance on Facebook in 2011 after creating a fake profile using photos of a UK-based male sports model.
He spoke to Rance about auditioning for a presenting job on a non-existent sports-based reality television show on MTV.
The 35-year-old told Rance he would put him in contact with a friend who was producing the show.
Thomas began talking to Rance using the name Scott Raymond and the pair met to discuss the programme.
But the association soon soured, with Thomas sending Rance text messages that were “critical and scathing of the victim, highlighting his reluctance to spend more time with the accused”, prosecutor Sergeant Belinda Cowley told Melbourne Magistrates Court.
Thomas also pleaded guilty to obtaining more than $50,000 (£32,053) by deception after setting up a fake medical practice in South Yarra and selling human growth hormones to 13 men while pretending to be a doctor.
He had pretended to be a musician, claiming to have performed at different licensed venues in a bid to fleece royalty payments from the Australasian Performing Rights Association.
When Rance ended the friendship, Thomas began hacking his accounts, sending a message to Rance’s now-wife Georgia that he was “living a lie and was in fact homosexual”.
In a message to Rance’s sister, he wrote: “Wakey, wakey. Rise and shine. You know what your brother has to do within three hours or something bad will happen”.
He also told Rance that a “gay orgy” had been arranged at his parent’s home.
