SA sex offender Beau Seeby tells court he assaulted girl, 8, in ‘cry for help’, but prosecutors say he’s done it before

This sex offender says his crime against a girl, 8, was “a cry for help” – but prosecutors revealed he’s done it before to another innocent child.

Beau Seeby has pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a girl, 8, in a toilet block in the Riverland. Picture: Facebook.

A child sex offender who held his victim by the neck while assaulting her in a public toilet has told a court he felt “hopeless and alone”, labelling his crime “a cry for help”.

On Monday, counsel for Beau Seeby asked the District Court to grant their client a merciful non-parole period for his crime against a girl, 8, in the Riverland.

They said he was young and had acted “spontaneously” against a girl he did not know, making him different from practised predators who breach the trust of children.

Prosecutor Rebecca Schell, however, said none of that mitigated Seeby’s offending – and revealed the girl was not his first victim.

“He has a prior offence of aggravated indecent assault for which he was released, without conviction, on an 18-month, $100 bond,” she said.

“(Now) we have a young, very vulnerable victim to whom he was a stranger, which is just as serious as a person who knows their victim.

“His behaviour was opportunistic and predatory … clearly, this has been a highly traumatising event for a very young girl.”

Seeby, 24, of Berri, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated indecent assault – earning up to 30 per cent off his maximum 10-year prison term.

On October 6, 2019, he followed the girl into the toilets of a Riverland community club and sexually assaulted her.

Seeby was the first alleged sex offender to lose his anonymity as a result of The Advertiser’s campaign to change SA suppression laws.

On Monday, Ms Schell said CCTV footage of the incident proved Seeby knew his actions were wrong.

“He watched the victim enter the toilets, kept a lookout around him as he moved toward them, he knew that she was on her own,” he said.

“It was a confined area with only one way in and out, throughout the assault he told the girl to be quiet, she described being held loosely around the neck.

Seeby’s criminal history includes an almost-identical offence, the court heard. Picture: Facebook.

“She later told police she was scared, sad and did not want to be hurt, so she did not say or do anything to raise the alarm.”

Leesah Randal, for Seeby, said her client was extremely contrite and remorseful, and offered his apologies to his victim, her family and the court.

“There were a lot of bad things happening in his life … he was struggling with his mental health (and) self-medicating with meth and cannabis,” she said.

“He attempted to get help in the community but felt no one was listening … he was in a place where he was feeling hopeless and alone … this was a cry for help.”

Judge Adam Kimber remanded Seeby in custody for sentencing next month.