Geelong local footballer escapes conviction over breaches of court order

A local Geelong footballer has faced court after texting and calling a woman hundreds of times despite being ordered by a court not to.

A local Geelong footballer has escaped without a conviction after texting and calling a woman hundreds of times despite being ordered by a court not to.

The man, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, appeared in Geelong Magistrates Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to four counts of persistently contravening a family violence intervention order.

He had been charged with 33 offences, including a stalking charge, however all other charges were withdrawn.

The court heard the man, who lives in Geelong, was served with the court order in May last year and ordered not to contact a woman.

However, over the next four months, the court was told the footballer called the complainant 1411 times and texted her 647 times.

He was arrested and interviewed last year, where he made full admissions and said he had just called to “check in” on the complainant.

The man’s lawyer, Elina Sisley, told the court her client acknowledged the charges were “very serious” and said his conduct was “incredibly misguided”.

However, Ms Sisley argued the relationship between the man and the complainant was more positive than the charges would suggest.

She said much of the contact between the couple was reconciliatory in nature, and that the footballer “was of the generation that phone contact was the norm”.

Magistrate John Lesser countered that protective orders were not the norm, and asked if Ms Sisley had “something to show” to support the argument that the contact was amicable.

The fact the police summary lacked details about what was said during the calls and texts was “outrageous”, Mr Lesser said.

Ms Sisley told the court that during some of the calls the couple were “playing Fortnite together” but said she did not have any documentation to support that.

The court heard the complainant had not provided a statement to the defence, and had refused to provide one to detectives.

Mr Lesser offered to adjourn the matter to allow time for the prosecution to provide more information about the calls, and the matter was briefly stood down for Ms Sisley to get instructions for her client.

Upon return, Ms Sisley suggested the persistent contact lacked aggravation, but Mr Lesser said the aggravating factor “is the number”.

Ms Sisley told the court the man was already engaging with behaviour-change services and submitted a number of letters of support.

Football was “therapeutic” and an “escape” for the man from a troubled and traumatic upbringing, the court heard.

Not being able to play was having a “big impact on his mental health”, Ms Sisley said.

Ms Sisley asked the court to consider an adjourned undertaking, but Mr Lesser said such a punishment was “not even in range” given the seriousness of the charges.

Mr Lesser told the man if he did want to continue a relationship with the woman, he needed to take the proper steps and “sort out the order” before any further contact.

The man was fined $800 without conviction.

Originally published as Geelong local footballer escapes conviction over breaches of court order