A 55-year-old man sent videos of himself masturbating to a teenage girl he knew through a North-West sporting club, a court heard. The man pleaded guilty before Justice Tamara Jago in the Supreme Court in Burnie last week to charges related to grooming and involving a child in the production of exploitation material. The court heard the girl was 15-years-old at the time of the crimes in July 2021, and they were both involved in a group chat associated with the sports club. Justice Jago was told that initially their conversations were about the sport they both played. But the prosecutor said the man began messaging the girl privately on Facebook and then Snapchat, and that he made "inappropriate" comments about her being "hot" and "delish". After a time, they both sent each other explicit videos, which defence lawyer Joseph Petersen said was "incredibly foolish judgment" that the man sincerely "regrets". "He accepts wholeheartedly these communications should not have occurred," Mr Petersen said. The judge said it was "hard to understand why a 53-year-old man would want to send videos to [a teenager] of himself masturbating". The prosecutor said crimes such as these were "insidious and often highly damaging", and Mr Petersen said his client regretted the impact his conduct had on the young woman. The victim had did not provide an impact statement, which Mr Petersen said provided him with a "modicum of relief", but the court heard that did not mean she had not been affected. Mr Petersen said his client was currently unemployed, but had previously led an industrious life prior to a workplace accident. He said the man had experienced great "shame and embarrassment" when his own adult daughter first heard about his crimes. The court also heard the man is involved in a number of sporting clubs in the North-West. Justice Jago adjourned the case to be sentenced on December 14 and released the man on bail until that date, but told him he could still expect to be jailed. If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, you can call North-West sexual assault support service Laurel House on 6431 9711.
