Taruck Michel Gabriel Esparon pleaded guilty to Maryborough toilet sex attack

A man who dragged a woman into a toilet at a Maryborough shopping centre before sexually assaulting her has been defended in court by his wife.

The wife and mother of a man, who dragged a woman into a shopping centre toilet during a terrifying sex attack, have defended him in court.

Taruck Michel Gabriel Esparon, 36, pleaded guilty in Maryborough District Court to attempted rape, sexual assault and deprivation of liberty.

After his lawyers withdrew from representing him, Esparon represented himself during the proceedings, with his wife and mother also addressing Judge Michael Byrne.

The court heard on September 28 last year at 7.50am, Esparon approached a woman who was shopping at Station Square Shopping Centre.

He asked her for a lighter before telling her she was “so beautiful”.

The two were near the food court when Esparon dragged the woman down a corridor and into the disabled toilet.

She was detained against her will in the cubicle, the court was told.

When Esparon tried to pull her pants down she sat on the floor to try and stop him.

He then tried to subject her to force her into lewd acts.

A cleaner tidying the food court area noticed one of the woman’s shoes, which had slipped off in the corridor while she was being dragged.

The cleaner also saw scuff marks leading to the toilet and when she heard noises, asked if anyone needed help.

The woman inside said she did.

The cleaner yelled that she would be calling police.

But Esparon remained in the toilet with the woman until officers arrived.

He then lied to the officers, telling them he was in the toilet with his girlfriend before the woman was finally released.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she thinks about the attack “every day”.

Esparon told Judge Byrne the attack was not premeditated.

But he accepted the facts that were read out to the court.

Esparon, a father of four, said he wanted to be a ‘good role model’ when he was released and he was willing to accept the consequences of his actions.

His wife, Catherina, then addressed the court.

She spoke of Esparon’s battle with mental health issues, including bipolar schizophrenia, for which he was medicated.

Esparon told the court he had stopped taking the medication for two weeks before the attack, while his wife was overseas.

He also admitted to using marijuana and heroin at times.

The couple had a four year old child together.

His mother tearfully addressed the court, sharing her long-term concerns over Esparon’s mental health disorder.

“That day he was not himself,” she said of the attack.

She said she would not like a similar assault to happen to herself, her daughter or her niece.

But she insisted he was not a bad person.

Judge Byrne said it was “very serious offending” but had been placed in the context of Esparon’s ongoing mental health issues.

He said he could tell from the facts there was something “very wrong” inside Esparon’s brain at the time.

Esparon was given a head sentence of four years in prison, with parole eligibility from January 27 next year.

The 382 days he had spent in custody was declared as time served.