The Australian government has lodged a protest with Fiji over its treatment of Australian tourist Maxwell McCoscar, who was sentenced to two years prison for engaging in consensual gay sex with adult. Authorities in Fiji violated international law by not advising the Australian High Commission of McCosker's arrest and trial, effectively denying him consular access, said Australia in its official complaint to the Fijiian government, noting also that neither man was permitted to have a lawyer present at their trial. "We are concerned this may have prejudiced Mr McCosker's rights in the trial, in particular his right to legal representation," a spokesperson for the Australian government said Friday. "This will be a matter for Mr McCosker's defense team to take up in his appeal hearing." McCoskar, a retired 55-year-old university professor, was arrested in a private residence as he had sex with a local man, 24-year-old Dhirendra Nadan. Police were summoned by a suspicious neighbour. In passing sentence, presiding magistrate Syed Muhktar Shah described their behaviour as "something so disgusting that it would make any decent person vomit."