Former Australian cricketer Aaron Summers faces possible jail time after pleading guilty to child sexual abuse offenses related to an incident in Tasmania in 2018.The 30-year-old, who previously represented Hobart Hurricanes and Tasmania in domestic cricket, changed his plea in late June to two counts of penetrative sexual abuse of a child and one count of grooming with intent to expose a child to indecent material.According to court proceedings, the offenses occurred while Summers was part of the Hobart Hurricanes team. The Tasmanian Supreme Court heard Summers had contacted the victim via social media before the incident took place.During the hearing, Summers’ lawyer, Caroline Graves, argued that the offenses occurred during a particularly difficult period in his life, when he was socially isolated and spent a lot of time on social media. She told the court that Summers had since reflected on his actions and was at low risk of re-offending.“This offense will never go away from his mind, but he has to get on with his life,” Ms Graves was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.She also emphasized that Summers was considered one of the fastest bowlers in the world at the time and was seen as a potential international player. “At the time of the offense he was one of the fastest bowlers in the world and that’s why they identified him to play at international level,” she said, adding: “He knows he will never make it in professional cricket in Australia or overseas.”Summers previously served a prison sentence in the Northern Territory after pleading guilty in 2021 to separate child exploitation offences, including possessing and transmitting child abuse material. His lawyer asked for probation to be considered, but Judge Helen Wood indicated that was not an option. Summers, who was out on bail, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced in August.
