May’s barrister, Richard Pontello, SC, pointed to a text message his client had sent to one of the victims once the video became public.

“Oh f---, so sorry,” the text read. “I hope you are okay. I will try to keep you in the loop from my end. Thank you for being such a legend.”

May was one of the first players suspended under the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy after he was charged by police in March 2019. The Panthers later conceded the fallout from the sex tapes scandal played a significant role in their poor performance that season as they missed the top eight.

After being fined a quarter of his 2019 salary by the NRL and completing a year-long suspension, May returned to the field in round eight last year.

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Since then, he has shown himself to be of immense utility value to coach Ivan Cleary. In Thursday night’s win over Melbourne, fullback Dylan Edwards was forced from the field with a broken hand. May proved an adequate replacement for Edwards, who was the best player on the field up until that point, and could retain the role for the four weeks the custodian is expected to be on the sidelines.

League Immortal Andrew Johns has called for Charlie Staines to be handed the No.1 jersey, while Stephen Crichton is another option. Regardless, May’s versatility has resulted in him being a regular in Cleary’s top 17.

The latest May court case is an unnecessary distraction for a team sitting on top of the NRL ladder after an undefeated start to the season.

The Panthers were contacted for comment.