The teenage girl who posted naked photos of St Kilda AFL players online has reached a settlement with the club. The club said in a statement it will provide the young woman with accommodation “for a few months”, in order for her to gain “stability” back into her life.
It announced the deal on Friday following discussions with the young woman, who released images of three St Kilda players on Facebook in December.
“The young woman has confirmed that the players did not pursue her, provide her with their number or act in any way that was inappropriate at the AFL school visit, and that she first met the players socially in Sydney after the round one Sydney Swans match on March 27,” the club said in a statement.
The 17-year-old said in Melbourne she had now deleted the images.
“I’ve deleted the images and will comply with the orders of the court. I was not present when the photos were taken,” she told the Nine Network.
Last May the teenager claimed she had sex with two Saints players and had become pregnant to one of them, later saying she had miscarried twins.
She then posted the photos online in December of St Kilda players Nick Riewoldt, Nick Dal Santo and Zac Dawson, originally saying she had taken the pictures herself.
She said she did it out of frustration after her complaints to the AFL were not acted on.
But Saints player Sam Gilbert said he took the photos on a 2009 end-of-year team trip and that the girl had stolen them from his laptop.
The teenager later admitted Gilbert had emailed the photos to her.
Federal Court Justice Shane Marshall had ordered both sides to engage in mediation before January 28.
St Kilda player Sam Gilbert had initiated the legal action in the Federal Court last month.
St Kilda chief executive Michael Nettlefold said the club was pleased an agreement was reached that will help the young woman and all involved to move on.
“This has been a complex issue. To be able to provide some assistance has been very important to the St Kilda Football Club,” he said.
“With the assistance we are providing we sincerely hope this enables her to have some more certainty in her life again.”
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