Robert John Cathery jailed for four years for indecently woman in car park reserve

A creep posing as a good Samaritan offered a woman a lift home before taking her to a car park, locking the doors and indecently assaulting her. Here’s how she escaped.

A creep who locked a woman in his car before indecently assaulting her said he did so to see if he could “get lucky”, a court heard.

Robert John Cathery, 44, pretended to be a good Samaritan but instead preyed on a vulnerable woman before leaving her alone in a carpark in complete darkness.

The District Court heard Cathery met the victim in the Modbury Hungry Jack’s car park on March 11, 2021.

The victim’s taxi had been delayed so Cathery asked if she needed a lift, which she accepted.

“You put your hand on her leg and started to move it towards her groin area,” Justice Julie McIntyre said during sentencing.

Robert Cathery was jailed for four years for his vile offending. Picture: iStock

“She pushed your hand away, telling you to keep your hands to yourself.”

Cathery pulled into the carpark of a reserve next to the Para Hills Tennis Club and locked the car doors.

“Not surprisingly your victim was very frightened and started shouting for help,” Justice McIntyre said.

The court heard Cathery threw himself on the victim and started kissing the side of her neck.

The victim tried to push him off and open the door, while telling him to stop.

The court heard Cathery then put his hand inside the victim’s underwear and touched her vagina.

“Your victim continued to resist and was screaming at you to stop,” Justice McIntyre said.

The court heard Cathery put his hand over her mouth and she bit his hand.

“You then opened the car door and said something along the lines of ‘Well, f*** off then’,” Justice McIntyre said.

“She fell out of the car and you drove off at a speed leaving her alone in the dark car park.”

The victim lost her phone during the assault and had to seek assistance from neighbouring properties who contacted police.

The Hungry Jack's in Modbury where the victim was picked up from.

The court heard the victim was medically examined and found to have sustained significant bruising consistent with Cathery forcibly touching her.

Cathery, from Scoresby in Victoria, pleaded guilty to indecent assault.

“Suffice to say that your attack upon her was a terrifying experience which has had significant adverse consequences,” Justice McIntyre said.

“Her family and friends have asked your victim why she got into the car with a stranger in the first place.

“She has blamed herself and felt ashamed.

“However, this was not her fault, the fault was entirely yours.”

The court heard the explanation for Cathery’s offending was not clear but he told a report writer he put his hand on the victim’s leg to see if he could “get lucky”.

Justice McIntyre sentenced Cathery to four years jail, with a non-parole period of two years.

“You pretended to be a good Samaritan, but instead of simply taking her home as you had offered you took advantage of the situation to engage in brazen and predatory offending against a vulnerable young woman,” she said.