Fake doctor obsessed with Richmond star Alex Rance, court hears Emily Portelli
Herald Sun
May 24, 2013 1:20PMA PRETEND doctor selling fake human growth hormones stalked Tigers star Alex Rance because he fell in love with him and was "lashing out" after being rejected, a court has heard.
Defence counsel Malcolm Thomas said Scott Raymond Thomas, 35, developed an "intense friendship" with the Richmond defender in 2011, with up to 47 messages passing between the two a day.
After Rance ended the friendship because it was "getting too much", Thomas hacked into his Facebook account and sent his then girlfriend and now wife, Georgia, a message.
Thomas also organised a gay orgy at Rance’s parents’ home, police prosecutor senior constable Belinda Cowley told the Melbourne Magistrates' Court today.
She said a number of people turned up to the home, including one when Rance’s grandmother and sister, Ali, were the only people home.
Thomas, of Newcastle, sent Facebook messages to Richmond football players questioning Rance’s ethics and personal conduct.
Barrister Mr Thomas said his client went "to pieces" when Rance ended their association and the offences were "a reaction to that hurt".
"There was a close friendship which involved going to each other's home, having dinners together, seeing movies together, shopping together, Mr Thomas being invited by Mr Rance to various functions," Mr Thomas said.
"It's clear from reading the text messages that Mr Thomas developed perhaps the genesis of a romantic attachment to Mr Rance through the context of their friendship and expressed that romantic attachment in various ways to Mr Rance through the text messages."
Ms Cowley disputed this was clear in the text messages and said the lawyer's submissions were designed to cause hurt or embarrassment to Rance.
Magistrate Caitlin English reminded Mr Thomas it was his client's conduct that was being impugned, not Rance's.
The young footballer sat quietly throughout the plea hearing with his wife, sister, mother and a friend.
He and two of his teammates avoided giving evidence at a hearing last month after Thomas indicated he would plead guilty.
Thomas pleaded guilty to 26 charges - including stalking Rance at Prahran between September 17 and October 6, 2011, using a carriage service to harass Rance’s sister and obtaining $50,655 in cash by deception by selling medicines while purporting to be a doctor.
Thomas claimed to be an endocrinologist and used post-nominal titles that indicated he was a fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and held a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery.
He also made a false statutory declaration, trafficked testosterone and submitted false claims for royalties to the Australasian Performing Right Association.
Forty-seven of the 73 criminal charges against Thomas were withdrawn.
Mr Thomas said his client had psychological or psychiatric issues - including low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder from a stint in an American prison.
He was previously jailed in the United States and Australia for deception offences which involved selling tickets on eBay.
Rance, 23, has played 74 games for the Tigers since his 2009 debut.
Thomas will be sentenced this afternoon.
Read more:
http://www.news.com.au/national-news/victoria/fake-doctor-obsessed-with-richmond-star-alex-rance-court-hears/story-fnii5sms-1226649924962#ixzz2UBJQJXXF
