An international Kiwi sportsman faces up to 10 years behind bars after being accused of having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl and sending her crude photos.

The North Island man has been charged with having sexual connection with the teen and intentionally exposing her to indecent material, namely images of his genitals, and sexual communication over the photo-sharing app SnapChat.

The Herald can reveal the man, who works with young teens, is due to travel abroad for an international sports competition where he will represent New Zealand.

He has been granted interim name suppression meaning his identity cannot be revealed.

The Herald understands the man has not been at work since police laid charges.

A former colleague, who was already aware of the case, said she felt “relieved” the man had been charged and that he was no longer at her workplace. “It sounds like the police did a good job.”

The Herald put questions to the man’s employer, including when it was first made aware of the accusations, when it was informed of the police investigation, what support had been offered to his colleagues and whether the man was still employed.

A spokesman said they had no comment given the matter was still before the courts.

The chief executive of his sport’s national body said they were unaware of the charges and unable to comment. However, they confirmed no complaint had been made to the organisation.

Though the man is scheduled to compete for New Zealand overseas, it is unclear if he has been granted bail or whether his bail conditions would allow him to travel abroad.

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The court where the man is due to appear was asked about his bail status and conditions but did not respond before deadline.

The Herald approached the man for comment and asked whether he still planned to compete overseas, however he did not reply.

According to court documents, the sportsman’s alleged offending occurred between April and July 2021 in the North Island. He first appeared in court earlier this month and a case review hearing is scheduled for early next year.

The sexual connection charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail. Intentionally exposing a young person to indecent material carries a maximum jail term of three years.

A police spokesman said officers began an investigation into allegations of sexual offending earlier this month.

As a result the man had been arrested and charged with indecent communication with a young person and sexual connection with a young person.

“The offending is alleged to have occurred in June of last year and relates to one complainant,” police said. “Our investigation is ongoing and we cannot rule out the possibility of further charges being laid.”

Earlier this year a different sportsman, NZ professional kickboxer Hayden Todd, caused an outcry after being granted a bail exemption to travel to Australia to compete.

Todd, 37, had pleaded guilty to charges including sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection with a female older than 16, assault on a female, strangulation and suffocation and injuring with intent to injure.

Last month he was sentenced to three years in prison.

A family spokesperson for Todd’s victim told the Herald on Sunday they felt let down by the court process.

“I’m absolutely dumbfounded that it could even happen.

“Dumbfounded that his lawyers could even think that it’s a possibility,” the spokesperson said.