John Arron Messenger pleaded guilty to indecent assault of a young girl
A ‘persistent’ go-kart mechanic has faced court for indecently assaulting a ‘vulnerable’ young girl. He only stopped when he heard a noise and thought he might get caught.
Police & Courts
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A Mackay man was labelled as “persistent” after admitting to indecent treatment of a “vulnerable” girl before she reached her teen years.
John Arron Messenger was left alone with the girl on a back patio after his group of friends, who he had been drinking with, had passed out or gone home.
Crown prosecutor Samantha O’Rourke told Mackay District Court the 38 year old, who was aged 36 at the time of the offending about May 30, 2020, spoke to the girl’s father over the phone.
Immediately after the phone call ended, Messenger asked the girl repeatedly if he could touch her.
Ms O’Rourke said the girl answered no but Messenger ignored her, placing his hand down her pants and touching her vagina.
Ms O’Rourke said Messenger only stopped when he heard a noise.
The girl told her mother the next morning and was then taken to the hospital and police station.
Messenger, who used to work at a go-kart track as a mechanic, had no history of sexual offending but was previously fined $600 for common assault against his half-sister when he pushed and dragged her.
Defence barrister Scott McLennan said Messenger had been drinking since the morning up until the offending at 12.29am.
“My client and the adult members had been drinking since the morning,” he said.
“One of them passed out, another had left because of an argument, and my client was still drinking at 12.29am at the time of the offending.”
Judge Julie Dick said she would not put too much weight on his criminal history, with the common assault charge “not relevant”.
“This was a breach of trust, it was persistent,” she said.
“I’ve read the victim-impact statement, it’s had a significant effect on the complainant.
“You were very drunk at the time and that appears to be the picture at the time of what the other adults were doing.”
Messenger was sentenced to a 12-month jail term, with a parole release date after two months served.
He had already served one day in custody.
A conviction was recorded.
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