Teen at the centre of a sex tape scandal involving Kotoni Staggs bombarded the NRL star with 40 messages after he allegedly rejected her proposal of a threesome - as she pleads guilty to leaking the footage
- McKenzie Robinson pleaded guilty to releasing sex tape of herself and NRL star
- Robinson, 18, allegedly asked Kotoni Staggs for a threesome prior to leak
- Staggs claims the footage was embarrassing and released without permission
- She was given just a $600 fine and had no conviction recorded against her
- The court heard there is no evidence she knew he was a professional footballer
- Ms Robinson sent the video to one person who then distributed it further
- She arrived in court early on Friday morning wearing a bright floral mini dress
By
BRITTANY CHAIN IN BRISBANE FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
PUBLISHED: 12:15 AEDT, 16 October 2020 | UPDATED: 14:06 AEDT, 16 October 2020
A teenager who released a sex tape of herself with a star footballer bombarded him with up to 40 messages when he ignored her, a court has heard.
McKenzie Lorraine Robinson, 18, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday charged with distributing the illegal vision.
She pleaded guilty to sharing the 'first person' footage engaged in an intimate act with star Brisbane Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs between June 14 and August 5 without his consent.
But she denied knowing that Staggs was a high profile footballer, despite connecting with him on his Instagram page - which features dozens of photographs in his club jersey.
Ms Robinson received a $600 fine. The maximum penalty for the crime being a term of three years imprisonment.
Magistrate Tina Privatera took into account an early guilty plea and Ms Robinson escaped conviction.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Henri Rantala told the court Ms Robinson first messaged Staggs on Instagram on June 15 to tell him he was 'cute' after she saw him tagged in another person's photo.
The conversation continued well into the afternoon, and by that evening Staggs agreed to go to Ms Robinson's Newstead home.
Staggs spent several hours at the home and he agreed to be filmed engaging in consensual sex after Ms Robinson promised not to share the footage with anyone else.
Ms Robinson denies it was her idea to film their encounter, but accepted that she did make the recording and that it was on her phone.
The pair never met again, but Staggs later told police Ms Robinson bombarded him with between 30 and 40 messages over the following six weeks.
She arrived at court early on Friday morning wearing a bright floral mini dress and dark black sunglasses, flanked by her legal team
Despite the embarrassment for the up-and-coming Bronco, Staggs was cleared of any wrongdoing by the NRL's integrity unit after the video was released
In one message she included a snippet from the video that was filmed on the night.
It was previously reported that Ms Robinson asked Staggs if he would consider having a 'threesome' with her and a friend.
Defence lawyer Jason Jacobson agreed that she messaged him over seven separate days to initiate conversation again and to invite him back to her home.
He told the court Ms Robinson had only arrived in Queensland 10 days prior to meeting Staggs after moving from New South Wales.
He said she came to Queensland to 'escape a difficult situation in New South Wales' which had resulted in a diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder.
The court heard that Ms Robinson sent the vision to one person, who was not named but is at least double her own age, and that person then distributed the video further.
The person who received the footage was somebody that Ms Robinson had 'trusted', the magistrate heard.
Ms Robinson tried to cover her face as she left court on Friday after receiving just a $600 fine for her actions
The court heard that Ms Robinson sent the vision to one person, who was not named but is at least double her own age, and that person then distributed the video further
McKenzie Lorraine Robinson, 18, appeared in Brisbane Magistrate's Court on Wednesday charged with distributing the illegal vision
By August 4, it had been distributed to other sport clubs and across several social media platforms, the court heard.
While handing down her sentence, the magistrate said she hoped the ordeal had been a lesson for the teenager.
'This kind of behaviour on social media, that it is highly destructive,' Ms Privatera said.
'This recording is derogatory of more than just the victim. Do you understand what I'm saying?' she asked.
Ms Robinson replied: 'Yes your honour.'
The magistrate also agreed there is no evidence that proved Ms Robinson knew Staggs was a high profile footballer when she first initiated a conversation with him.
'There is no evidence of intentional or spiteful behaviour on your part to cause the victim the damage that has been caused by the distribution of the recording,' she added.
Staggs' lawyer Dave Garratt previously said his client praised Queensland Police for their handling of the matter
The magistrate also agreed there is no evidence that proved Ms Robinson knew Staggs was a high profile footballer when she first initiated a conversation with him
Sgt Rantala said the video was subject of widespread domestic and international attention and caused Staggs a great deal of 'personal embarrassment' and 'professional repercussions affecting his public brand and potential sponsorship opportunities'.
'The appropriate sentence should reflect... the personal embarrassment and economic ramifications it's had on the victim in the circumstances,' he said.
Ms Robinson covered her face as she made her way from the court on Friday afternoon.
Her lawyer, Mr Jacobson, said the teenager had learnt a 'harsh lesson'.
The court heard she was working as a customer service representative at a large company while also undertaking her Year 11 and Year 12 higher school certificate at Tafe.
She has plans to return to New South Wales to study psychology and social work.
'She has learnt a harsh lesson in that these things are not to be distributed at all and of course you think you can trust one person with a secret and they may let you down,' he said.
Mr Jacobson previously insisted Ms Robinson - who now uses the alias McKenziana Skye on social media - never meant for the video to circulate on social media.
Her defence lawyer, Jason Jacobson, previously insisted the teenager never meant for the video to circulate on social media
Her defence lawyer, Jason Jacobson, previously insisted the teenager never meant for the video to circulate on social media
+18
Pictured: McKenzie Robinson
'It was not Ms Robinson that made this private video go public,' he told reporters outside court at her last scheduled appearance.
'That was never intended by her and she very much regrets that it did and she very much regrets the impact that it caused for Mr Staggs.
'There is an explanation as to how this happened and that will be put to the court at a later date.'
Staggs recently opened up about the harrowing experience of learning the tape had been released, and said telling his tight-knit family about what had happened was his worst nightmare.
The 21-year-old said he was 'shattered' that his private life had been thrust into public domain.
'I was embarrassed it came out. I didn't want my family to see it, that was the one thing that I was worried about,' he told The
Courier Mail.
'They had my back through it all. I was surprised by how well they took it and that made me feel a bit better.'
Despite the embarrassment for the up-and-coming Bronco, Staggs was cleared of any wrongdoing by the NRL's integrity unit after the video was released.
'It wasn't my fault but I was still involved... there's always ups and downs. You learn from your mistakes,' he said.
When she last appeared in court, a lawyer for Ms Robinson, who now uses the alias McKenziana Skye on social media, vowed to explain how the sex tape was leaked at a later court appearance
Staggs alleges Robinson, who describes herself as a 'holistic wellness coach,' repeatedly called and messaged him following their rendezvous
Fed up with constant messages from Ms Robinson after their one night together, Staggs reportedly asked the teen to stop contacting him just weeks before the video was released to the public.
Share or comment on this article:
McKenzie Robinson pleads guilty to releasing sex tape with Brisbane Broncos NRL star Kotoni Staggs
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-Brisbane-Broncos-NRL-star-Kotoni-Staggs.html
