Regional KFC worker jailed after preying on two children in workplace

The law is “crashing down” on a predatory KFC worker who preyed on teenage girls at his workplace – and now he’s learnt his fate.

A KFC worker sexually abused a young girl then preyed on two more children at his workplace, causing one to be so scared to come to work she quit.

The 23-year-old man – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was jailed after the law came crashing down on him for his predatory ways.

During sentencing, the District Court heard the man met the first victim, who was aged 15, via Facebook in September 2020.

The man and the victim began a relationship and they had sexual intercourse when she stayed over.

The relationship ended in July 2021.

Kentucky Fried Chicken sign. Photo: File

The court heard the man met the second victim, who was also 15, while they were both working at a regional KFC together in December 2020.

The man added her on Snapchat and asked her to send him naked photographs, which she did for a couple of months.

The court heard there was an uncharged incident in April 2021 where the man groped the victim’s breasts in a storeroom.

The second victim became too scared to go to work and resigned after disclosing what happened to the store manager.

The man met the third victim, aged 14, while they were also working together at KFC and asked for her Instagram.

He suggested that she perform fellatio on him at work, which she declined.

The court heard the third victim’s boyfriend saw the messages and police were contacted in October 2021.

Police seized the man’s devices and found videos of him having sexual intercourse with the first victim, as well as images of the second victim.

The man pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, one count of procuring a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of communicating with the intention of making a child amenable to sexual activity.

The first victim said she used to be a bubbly person but now would not leave her house unless she really had to because she did not want to run into the man.

“She feels disgusted by the videos you took because they made her feel violated,” Judge Liesl Kudelka said.

The court heard the man, who was a CFS volunteer until his arrest, was diagnosed with mild autism spectrum disorder.

“You say that you are very sorry for what has happened. You were irresponsible and have learned to be better,” Judge Kudelka said.

Judge Kudelka said it was concerning the man’s parents permitted the first victim to stay overnight in his bedroom regularly.

“The law is about to come crashing down on you but, to some extent, you have been let down by adults who should have been more responsible,” she said.

Judge Kudelka sentenced the man to 18 months jail, with a non-parole period of nine months.

“I know this must seem like the worst day of your life today … I’ve had no choice but to do what I did today,” she said.