How Salt Creek kidnapper Roman Heinze assaulted another tourist but was spared conviction
EXCLUSIVE: A court dismissed Salt Creek kidnapper Roman Heinze’s second attempt to molest a backpacker as an “unfortunate misreading” of the young woman’s interest and spared him a conviction.
A COURT dismissed Salt Creek kidnapper Roman Heinze’s second attempt to molest a backpacker as “misreading” the young woman’s interest and spared him a conviction.
The Advertiser can today reveal a 16th foreign tourist was pursued by Heinze via the Gumtree website and victimised between the crimes for which he is awaiting sentence.
Although Heinze tried to kiss the woman, and she screamed “get out” at him, the Christies Beach Magistrates Court ruled the incident “unfortunate” and a “misunderstanding”.
Magistrate Jayne Basheer released him on a bond, despite the incident having breached bail conditions banning him from contacting women on the website.
Prosecutors have asked the Supreme Court to resentence Heinze, saying his infamous attack at Salt Creek breached that 12-month, $500 vow to be of good behaviour.
Jim Pearce QC said the kiss was anything but “benign”, and Heinze was not unlucky in love but a sexual predator whose criminal conduct was escalating alarmingly.
“One (incident) might be considered bad luck, two considered clumsy but by the third and fourth, there’s a clear picture emerging,” he said.
“He misread the signals once, maybe twice, but not when it comes to Salt Creek.”
Heinze, 61, will be sentenced next week for indecently assaulting a backpacker — by touching her breast and “steering” her to his bedroom — in September 2014.
He will also be punished for kidnapping and indecently assaulting a Brazilian tourist, and for bashing her German travelling companion, at the Coorong in February 2016.
Between those times, he contacted 13 other foreign tourists on Gumtree — one of whom he met at her Goodwood accommodation in December 2014.
In her July 2015 sentencing remarks, Ms Basheer said Heinze had responded to the woman’s ad and they took a day trip to Victor Harbour.
“As you were walking to the front door (of her house) you leaned forward and attempted to kiss her ... she panicked, pulled back and fell backwards onto the floor,” she said.
“You were hoping for a favourable response ... you thought that you had read the signs correctly.
“However, when you attempted to pick the victim up from the ground she screamed ‘get out, get out’ ... it was only then that you realised you had crossed a boundary.”
She said the woman had reported the incident to police, who wanted Heinze convicted of assault despite him having fully co-operated with their inquiries.
“It really comes down to an attempt to kiss the victim, and the victim’s unfortunate reaction to your attempt,” she said, declining to record a conviction.
This week, Mr Pearce told the Supreme Court the incident “had alarming similarities” to Heinze’s attacks upon his first victim and the Brazilian backpacker.
Justice Trish Kelly agreed, noting Heinze’s first crime had not been reported to police at the time Ms Basheer imposed the bond.
“There’s a big difference between the allegations (made by the woman) and the rather benign facts the magistrate sentenced him on,” she said.