Mark John Barnett pleads guilty to fondling school boys in 1987

A paedophile who sexually abused children at a school camp took advantage of his position as a volunteer and fondled them in their dormitories at night.

Mark Barnett leaves Geelong Magistrates Court.

A school camp volunteer who indecently assaulted and exposed himself to Grade 6 boys fondled them in their dormitories at night, the Geelong Magistrates Court heard on Thursday.

Mark John Barnett, now 63, was driving to the camp at Lovely Banks in April 1987 when he began to fondle the boys.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kathleen Hewitt said: “He reached over with his left hand and began stroking (one boy’s) penis over the top of his clothing, and continuing driving while he removed his penis from his trousers and smirked at the (boys).”

The court was told one of the boys felt compelled to comply with Barnett’s requests and removed his genitalia from his pants.

The court heard while Barnett was driving to the camp in a mini-bus he touched both boys and himself and made sexual comments to the boys.

Mark Barnett (right) leaves Geelong Magistrates Court with his lawyer (left). Picture: Brad Fleet

During the school camp for students at the Greensborough-based St Mary’s Primary School, Barnett was in the same dorm with the boys, the court was told.

Sergeant Hewitt said Barnett approached one boy, patted him on the chest and stomach before he fondled the victim’s genitalia.

The boy eventually summoned the courage to pull Barnett’s hand away and said “no”.

The court was told one night at the camp, Barnett, who now lives in Western Australia, instigated a game of dare and asked both boys to show him their genitalia.

Barnett, who was a regular volunteer at the time of the camp, later shone a torch on one of the boy’s groins and asked him to expose himself.

Barnett then told the victims to dare him to expose his genitalia, and then jumped up and down with his trousers and underpants around his ankles.

Mark Barnett leaves Geelong Magistrates Court.

The court was told Barnett initially denied knowledge of the 1987 incidents when recently questioned by police.

On Thursday, Barnett pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent assault, and committing multiple acts of gross indecency in the presence of a person under the age of 16 in his care, supervision or authority.

Barnett’s barrister, Amelia Beech, said the offending was quite limited and did not involve violence or aggression.

Ms Beech told the court her client had significant mental health issues for most of his life.

During the hearing Barnett, who will be on the sex offenders registry for life, said he was too frail to stand when he was sentenced.

Magistrate Ann McGarvie said the offending was a breach of trust by an adult volunteer, and there was no doubt the victims would have been affected by his actions.

Mark Barnett leaves Geelong Magistrates Court.

“When an adult tells a child to do something, children often comply with that even if they feel it is wrong, and clearly that happened,” Ms McGarvie said.

Ms McGarvie sentenced Barnett to four months jail wholly suspended for 12 months.

Barnett was sentenced under the law as it applied in 1987, a time when suspended sentences existed. The sentencing category has since been abolished in Victoria.

In 2019 Barnett was sentenced to nine months jail, wholly suspended, for offences he committed in 1986.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of gross indecency with a person under 16, and two indecent assault charges.

Originally published as Mark John Barnett pleads guilty to fondling school boys in 1987