Here's a lovely story from the otherside of the Tasman. NOT!

[I Bleed Green]

From http://www.foxsports.com.au:

THREE New Zealand rugby league players have been jailed for assaulting an ex-girlfriend of one of the players in an attempt to induce an abortion.

Shaun Williams-Metcalf, 16, was yesterday sentenced to 18 months' jail for taking his friends, Geoffrey Ruaporo and Kyle Donovan, to a park to repeatedly kick his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend in the stomach to procure an abortion.

Ruaporo was also sentenced to 18 months' jail while Donovan, who said he tried to stop the attack, received a prison term of 15 months.

They had earlier pleaded guilty to procuring an abortion, aggravated robbery and injuring with intent to injure.

The trio were members of the New Zealand Warriors Development squad and were selected last year for the New Zealand Rugby League under-16 side to tour Queensland, although they never played.

The Warriors have cancelled the players' contracts.

"We don't condone what they've done, as a club. I'm appalled at their actions, at how they've treated this young lady," Warriors chief executive Mick Watson said today.

"We are very disappointed, we've taken the action of terminating their contracts, and we stand by the court decision and the measures taken."

The girl was left lying bleeding with cuts and bruises after the attack.

Crown prosecutor Kevin Glubb told the court yesterday it was "good luck rather than good management" that the woman's five-month-old daughter had survived and was healthy.

The girl and her parents said they were happy the youths had been sentenced to prison and were glad the ordeal had ended.

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Absolute scum.

That has to be one of the most downright evil acts I've ever heard of. I hope they rot in jail.

 

[Macca]

Why do they have to be associated with Rugby League? They are only 16 year olds. What crap, if they played tennis, would we see the same headline?

 

[I Bleed Green]

Probably not, but I guess because they are... or WERE Warriors juniors they printed a story about it.

 

[***MH***]

Once were warriors....

 

[Southernsaint]

Disgusting. This story should go from this forum.

Cheers,
Ben S.

 

[EdBurton]

Absolute scum!

 

[ozbash]

apparently the judge made some anti league statement at sentencing,eg,"league players,what do you expect" which i reckon is a bit off.

metcalf was a very good player who would have gone a long way.
sel pearson- ceo of the nzrl said he deplored the incident and doubts they will ever play again.

crap like this is not on,

 

[SpaceMonkey]

The club did the right thing in sacking all three players as soon as they could do so without risking legal repercussions. The only reason the contracts weren't terminated immediately is that the club needed to wait until the court decision was reached before taking action.
Still another bad association the game doesn't need and a shame for the Warrios as they've copped a slur for the actions of these wankers.

 

[Iafeta]

Don't overly think the Warriors or rugby league are to blame here. Only by association and as we all know you can't keep players under lock and key. The Judge's comments were in extremely poor taste, too emotive, not objective enough. I'm surprised if those are the sorts of comments he makes that he has got to where he has got because those are quite irrational and unrelated comments to make.

Those three kids have got the blood on their own hands. Shaun Metcalf indeed was a very talented individual on the footy field, scored 2 tries for the Warriors v Dragons trial match earlier this year. But the heart and top 2 inches are soiled badly, and thats what counts. Hit the road jack.

What I would like to know is, if this incident happened in August 2003, obviously investigations would have started before then, how come the Warriors selected Metcalf to play in 2 trials this year given the seriousness of allegations and the propensity for Metcalf's career to be in tatters at the end of this all? Given the situation, and given the trials were basically a look to our future at the Warriors, I most definitely would not have selected him. Another kid with the right heart, the right mind should have been selected. Not this criminal.

There is absolutely no place for women bashing in any facet of our community - Warriors fans are as disgusted as general rugby league fans. Those kids weren't Warriors in the true sense of the word, infact they did the logo a grave dis-service. What they are... I could say any number of adjectives and it wouldn't come close to hitting the depths needed.

 

[Knightmare]

The three of them are misguided and in serious need of help as to why they believe doing what they did was acceptable.

 

[Anonymous]

The kid was 15 when he did it. If you were a 15 year old with no particular prospects ahead of you except a HUGE future in rugby league, and a girl you hardly knew and didn't even really like wanted to screw up all your plans (from his point of view) by having your baby and forcing you to become a father, wouldn't you be somewhat distraught???

Not that I in any way condone what happened. That goes without saying. But I find it very hard to condemn completely any 15 year old, especially in the circumstances. I hope he does his time and comes out a better person. Just trying to give a different perspective on the whole thing.

 

[[furrycat]]

Understandable, but maybe something a little better than beating the shit out of her. After all, its not exactly all her fault she was pregnant, he helped...

 

[Macca]

The kid was 15 when he did it. If you were a 15 year old with no particular prospects ahead of you except a HUGE future in rugby league, and a girl you hardly knew and didn't even really like wanted to screw up all your plans (from his point of view) by having your baby and forcing you to become a father, wouldn't you be somewhat distraught???

Not that I in any way condone what happened. That goes without saying. But I find it very hard to condemn completely any 15 year old, especially in the circumstances. I hope he does his time and comes out a better person. Just trying to give a different perspective on the whole thing.

You are kidding mate. Bashing a pregnant woman deserves nothing but complete condemnation. I'm glad this gutless little f**k won't be part of our game.

 

[ibeme]

I can understand his fear, but not his actions.

 

[Iafeta]

Thierry, when a man loves a women... Theirry, the birds and the bees.... You know the Stalk? Yack. How do I describe this. When a man inserts his manliness into the women, and there's little to no protection, or in some cases no luck, the sperm of the male goes to the egg of the female which begins the cycle of reproduction. Its not the girl going "Oh, I like that boy, bang, you're gonna be a daddy." Shaun didn't play checkers with her; he didn't share the same perfume; thats not how it happened, he let his old fellow do the talking. For a young guy with his apparent strength, it'd be practically impossible for her to force her way onto him that he couldn't prevent ... intercourse. It would have been consensual. IE, Shaun Metcalf is the father, and he had to accept that.

He has to take some consequences of his actions. He failed to do it as a man, maybe now the legal system will make him do it as a criminal.

 

[sunny]

18 months jail? How about 18 years? That'd be closer to the mark, more appropriate for a truly sickening crime such as the ones these three merkins committed. I don't give a f**k how they are. Hopefully they get a life ban from rugby league as well as a good ol' prison bashing.

 

[Anonymous]

I can understand his fear, but not his actions.

Exactly. All I'm saying is, he isn't a lunatic or a monstrosity. He's a young kid who did something ridiculous, outrageous. My point being 18 months is a fair enough sentence.

 

[Anonymous]

Its not the girl going "Oh, I like that boy, bang, you're gonna be a daddy." Shaun didn't play checkers with her; he didn't share the same perfume; thats not how it happened, he let his old fellow do the talking. For a young guy with his apparent strength, it'd be practically impossible for her to force her way onto him that he couldn't prevent ... intercourse. It would have been consensual. IE, Shaun Metcalf is the father, and he had to accept that.

No kidding, but obviously he wanted her to have an abortion (I think that's fairly obvious).

He has to take some consequences of his actions. He failed to do it as a man, maybe now the legal system will make him do it as a criminal.

LOL, no kidding, maybe because a 15 year old isn't a man??? Jeez, if he was a girl and a crime was committed against him, we'd be hearing about defencelessness and statutory rape and molestation. Funny how people can conveniently change their minds about what is and isn't an adult based on circumstances.

 

[Anonymous]

Or another way of looking at it- at 15, Metcalfe isn't even supposed to be old enough to make his own decisions about sex, yet he's supposed to accept all the consequences of it???

 

[Macca]

Yes TH. At 15, you are of the age to understand that kicking a pregnant girl in the guts is wrong. He deserves complete condemnation.

But I find it very hard to condemn completely any 15 year old

What would it take, murder? That's what he was attemping.