World of Warcraft relationship ends in arrest

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 4th 2007 at 2:30PM }

And here's to you Mrs. Broome, Jesus loves you more than you will know, but the US has has laws against seducing 17-year-old boys. Tamara Broome, a 31-year-old Australian woman has been arrested by US authorities for attempting to "abduct" her 17-year-old male friend whom she met while playing the "medieval-themed" World of Warcraft. The couple had allegedly planned to marry and the sting was set up by the boy's parents who apparently lured Broome to North Carolina where she planned to meet her betrothed and bring him back to Australia. And before it gets all technical about the age of consent, North Carolina law states an underage minor is 17 and below.

Ms. Broome is being held on $2.35 million bond and could face two years in jail if found guilty. Could be worse, she could have sold an M rated game in the state of New York to a minor. Broome will appear in court July 11. And to think all she had to do was wait one more year. On the bright side she'll have plenty of rested XP bonus when she gets out.

[Via GuardianBlog]

Tags: broome, kidnap, north carolina, world of warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Blinkus @ Jul 4th 2007 2:52PM

I bet he thought getting laid was a sure shot too.

Diskoboy @ Jul 4th 2007 2:52PM

Ummm... I hate to say this, but she'll probably get off, if she gets a competent lawyer.

It's called "Entrapment".

And this is a clear case of it.

Blinkus @ Jul 4th 2007 3:00PM

It would smell that way, but then the same is often said about To Catch a Predator.

Though the article suggests that the boy's parents paid for her trip to the U.S. which would seem in favor of an entrapment defense.

Grey Fox @ Jul 4th 2007 3:00PM

Indeed but for the time being I think we all get to say she got owned.

Konny @ Jul 4th 2007 3:05PM

She must have been some catch, if she had to meet someone on WoW, from half way across the FREAKIN PLANET, whos also underaged and lives with his parents... just to get nookie.

ManekiNeko @ Jul 4th 2007 3:32PM

She did nothing illegal by her country's standards... but you'd better believe the politicians will be in a rush to condemn both her and the game she was playing. Welcome to America, where you can be arrested, incarcerated, and forever branded a sex offender by dating someone who's a week away from their 18th birthday. What a country!

JR

Vince @ Jul 4th 2007 3:35PM

This is an absolutely ridiculous story, and that kid's parents are pretty fucking sadistic.

CountChocula @ Jul 4th 2007 3:41PM

Am I the only one that chuckled at the rested XP crack?

colin @ Jul 4th 2007 3:42PM

picture here
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/07/02/1183229010185.html

tituspullo @ Jul 4th 2007 3:55PM

7.
sadists protecting their child? really kinda seems to be double standard if this were Man going after a young girl. i think she had the intent to take him away to another country! i don't see the problem with putting her away for a while.
i guess when you people have children you'll understand.

Vince @ Jul 4th 2007 3:57PM

10, you should read the whole story before passing judgement:

"Tamara Broome, currently being held in the Pitt County Detention Centre, told her housemate that the boy's parents were paying for her to travel to America so the virtual lovers, "could sort it all out"."

It's one thing to forbid you son to marry someone when he's only 17. It's something completely different when you set up the woman to be arrested by asking her to "come sort it out".

Trickob @ Jul 4th 2007 3:58PM

niicccccccccce!

ScreamingSkull @ Jul 4th 2007 4:11PM

Uh, to catch a predator hardly ever results in a conviction.

Chris Putnam @ Jul 4th 2007 4:14PM

How can she be charged with child abduction when she didn't abduct anyone? She didn't have sex with him either. From the sounds of it she was arrested before she even met him. No one can say what her intentions were. For god's sake, she's a university student, and this kid is almost 18.

What a bunch of bullshit.

TheGuy @ Jul 4th 2007 4:19PM

@ScreamingSkull

Actually, most cases from the show haven't gone to trial yet but none of the people who've gone to trial so-far have been acquitted.

TheGuy @ Jul 4th 2007 4:22PM

Plus, to those who say that the show To Catch a Predator entraps people, the people pretending to be kids never make the advances for the other person to meet them for sex. Therefore, it is not entrapment.

Rob Accomando @ Jul 4th 2007 4:38PM

Why is the bail set so high??

whymog @ Jul 4th 2007 5:03PM

That's a fantastically fitting image for the article. :D

I'm embarassed to say I have an ex who is now engaged to a guy she met on World of Warcraft. Oh, how insidious Internet romance is!

Diskoboy @ Jul 4th 2007 5:08PM

Just to set the record straight, there is a difference between what she did, and what those people on those "To Catch A Preadator" shows do.

NBC goes after people in the US. They get people who knowingly are breaking the law. This woman probably had no idea that the age of concent in most states is 18. She was clearly set up.

From what I remember, the age of concent in Australia is 16. So down under, she really hasn't done anything wrong. I live in America, and this pisses me off to no end.

Mark @ Jul 4th 2007 5:16PM

@ tituspullo

You're talking some serious jive man. I live in North Carolina and I can guarantee you that the parents are religious zealots that don't give two fucks about their son. I hope this poor lady get's off soon, and I hope she sues his parents for all they're worth.

WENDY @ Jul 11th 2007 8:03PM

@ tituspullo

(You're talking some serious jive man. I live in North Carolina and I can guarantee you that the parents are religious zealots that don't give two fucks about their son. I hope this poor lady get's off soon, and I hope she sues his parents for all they're worth.)......EXCUSE ME !! MARK, I'M A FRIEND OF THESE PARENTS AND THEY CARE ALOT FOR THEIR SON, THEY WANTS WHATS BEST FOR HIM....THEY DIDN'T SET NOTHING UP , THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT SHE GETTING ARRESTED....THEY LOVE THIER SON. THEY DIDN'T WANT HIM TO GO SOMEPLACE WITH NO WAY HOME, NOT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN.....THIS HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR THIER FAMILY,WITH THE FATHER AWAY IN IRAQ ...I WISH YOU ALL WOULD STOP PUTTING DOWN THESE PARENTS, UNTIL YOU KNOW THE WHOLE STORY NOT JUST ONE SIDE....

Kye @ Jul 4th 2007 5:18PM

So, your 17, you just scored a 31 yr old, your about to get some and... YOU. TELL. YOUR. PARENTS?!

Somebody smack this guy, please.

If he wasn't interested he coulda just said so. But nooo...

ps

I laughed at the rested XP joke as well.

Funkula @ Jul 4th 2007 5:19PM

This case will be thrown out of court. I cant believe that the parents thought they could set up a sting. All they set up is implicit agreement to the Aussie and their son to get together. That completely obliterates whatever evidence the parents will try to come up with. God damn it when people take the law into their own hands. Especially when they have no clue of the laws of the land.

Blinkus @ Jul 4th 2007 5:47PM

NBC anchor Stone Phillips admits that "in many cases, the decoy is the first to bring up the subject of sex. However, the transcripts show that once the hook is baited, the fish jump and run with it like you wouldn't believe." (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11131562/)

So, TheGuy, it's still a little iffy.

TheGuy @ Jul 4th 2007 6:04PM

@Blinkus

True, but it's still not considered entrapment. It's only entrapment when the opportunity is brought-up and the person entices/induces the suspect into doing the crime. In the situation of To Catch a Predator, legally it's not entrapment when the person pretending to be a child brings-up the subject of sex but when that pretending person solicits having sex it-is considered entrapment.

Sami @ Jul 4th 2007 6:13PM

Shouldn't US be the land of the free? This is absolutely ridiculous. You are horribly restricted in every area of life, whether it's sex, marriage, digital rights, security (in the "war against terror") or video games. Will you people just put a stop to your totalitarian government already?

n_revolution9 @ Jul 4th 2007 7:15PM

21. Kye

EXACTLY!!! Why WOULD he tell anyone???? If the wedding was planned between the two of them (meaning both the boy and the woman wanted to be together) all you have to do is wait until you're 18. Trust me, for a life of sex with an older woman who enjoys World of Warcraft as much has you, it's TOTALLY WORTH IT TO WAIT!!!!It was so friggin' simple!!!!
Abduction.............kiss my ass.

ganrob @ Jul 4th 2007 7:28PM

Here she is: http://regmedia.co.uk/2007/07/03/tamarabroome2.jpg

From: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/03/woman_arrested_for_wow_teen_tryst/

Jouten @ Jul 4th 2007 8:10PM

To quote the immortal word of Ron Simmons, "DAMN!"

And yeah, she's not too bad looking in that pic, damn bs if you ask me.

Trevor @ Jul 4th 2007 9:48PM

@Blinkus

Actually, Stone Phillips, the talking head that he was (since he's since been laid off), just doesn't know what he's talking about.

Since it hasn't been linked yet, http://www.perverted-justice.com. 201 convictions with all the convicted complete chatlogs and some with phone recordings. Also read the FAQ.

Though, as a note, they would never pretend to be a 17 year old decoy. 15 is the limit, but usually 10-14. If this woman actually got the full 2 years when some men going for 11 year olds get probation elsewhere, it's insane.

Grant @ Jul 5th 2007 12:29AM

And when this kid goes until 35 a shut-in and a virgin, he can thank good ol' mom-and-dad from preventing his innocence from being corrupted at the ripe age of 17.

When i was 17, if some woman was willing to fly halfway around the world to meet me, you can bet your ass i would have disappeared without a trace and an emptied bank account.

Kids these days with their hot teachers trying to have sex with them, and the kids turning them in. Now some woman flies halfway across the world and this kid blows it.

L @ Jul 5th 2007 3:20AM

WTF does this have to do with Jesus?

Tufas @ Jul 5th 2007 3:53AM

So, his parents set up the encounter and then turn the woman in?

Put the parents in jail with the 31 year old.

And for the record, I am 30 and nailed several 16 year olds - consent here is 16 and its noones business.

If you think for ONE MINUTE a 17 year old is "Innocent" in the internet age, you are severly deluded

Jesus what a country USofA is.....

benjipwns @ Jul 5th 2007 4:17AM

@25
"Will you people just put a stop to your totalitarian government already?"

Um...you're hopefully using hyperbole to make a point but still...if we have a "totalitarian" government we wouldn't get much say in stopping it would we?

Spitkicker @ Jul 5th 2007 11:37AM

@Vince
I agree. This is a little ridiculous. He is almost 18...I'm not saying it is appropriate but come on.

Ghen @ Jul 5th 2007 12:28PM

See, this is why we need to fund lifelike robotics so poor Australians don't have to get in trouble with the US of A

TheNino85 @ Jul 5th 2007 12:49PM

Something tells me that a lot of the posters here are 17 year olds who secretly wish that they could get laid over WoW by anything with OMGBOOBS.

You know what? There's not much difference between 17 and 18. There really isn't. But if you're going to make sex with minors illegal (as it should be), you gotta set the age limit somewhere, and it's going to arbitrary to a small degree no matter what age you set it to. As for the whole "She was Australian, she didn't know" factor: welcome to a foreign country. When you're in a foreign country, you abide by their rules. I know that money often changes hands when it comes to this topic and that justice often isn't served, but that doesn't change the fact that one should abide by the legal system of the country they are currently in. If the legal system sucks in that country, well, don't go. Another thing, she can be charged with intent to kidnap even if she never did so. Finally, why are you guys making all these blanket statements about his parents when there is virtually no information about them?