Woman’s $1000 therapy bill after Matthew Adan Fitton’s supermarket sex assault

A man who gave an unsuspecting shopper an eye full at an Ipswich supermarket said he wasn‘t the monster he was painted to be despite his victim needing $1000-worth of therapy.

Matthew Adan Fitton, sentenced in Ipswich Magistrates Court for a supermarket sexual assault. Picture: Facebook

A Lowood father has faced sentence for making “disgusting” sexual advances on a woman in a supermarket, who said she now sees him every time she closes her eyes.

Matthew Adan Fitton, a 34-year-old father of four, pleaded guilty in Ipswich Magistrate’s Court on October 13, 2022, to common assault, sexual assault and an indecent act in any place to which the public are permitted access.

The court heard on May 8, 2022, Fitton approached a woman he didn’t know at a Drake Supermarket in Lowood.

Fitton asked the woman if she had a partner, and she said she did.

He then asked if she wanted to come back to his place, and she said no.

Fitton asked her to add him on Facebook, then asked if she knew what was good for sore throats.

The woman took him to the confectionary aisle, but Fitton grabbed her shirt and tried to look inside.

He then squeezed her buttocks, before the woman pulled away and told him he was making her uncomfortable.

The court heard he continued to grab her, and told her “he wanted to see if she was wearing any underwear”.

The woman walked away, pointing out the cough lollies, before continuing her shopping.

She later saw Fitton, still standing near the cough lollies, and he told her “he had something to show her”.

He indecently exposed himself to her, and she immediately went to the register.

The woman later found Fitton on Facebook and reported the offending to police, who found footage of the incident on CCTV.

Magistrate Andy Cridland read out part of woman’s victim impact statement in court, quoting, “I’ve been suicidal, anxious, feel numb, don’t sleep, don’t feel comfortable”.

“The event has messed me up mentally and emotionally. I’ve spent roughly $1000 or more on things for therapy, to distract myself,” he continued.

“I want sleeping tablets from doctors, due to every time I close my eyes I see the defendant.”

Fitton, who appeared via video link, said “this is painting me out to be a monster that I’m actually not”.

“I was stuck in hallucination, I actually thought the person was someone else,” he explained.

Defence lawyer Christy Louden said Fitton struggled with a number of mental health issues including schizophrenia, bipolar, OCD and ADHD.

She said he also struggled with methamphetamine addiction, but had been clean throughout his 155 days of presentence custody.

Mr Cridland said “it’s certainly serious, disgusting … this sort of behaviour is just simply not acceptable”.

He noted Fitton had an “appalling” criminal history, including multiple drug, property, dishonesty and vehicle offences.

Fitton received a head sentence of 15 months imprisonment, with immediate parole release and 155 days of pre-sentence custody declared time-served.