Jasper Zwicker pleads guilty to indecent assault of 6-year-old girl

Harrowing details of a man’s long list of shocking offences have been revealed after he targeted a six-year-old girl at a popular Queensland shopping centre.

Jasper Zwicker in 2017.

A man previously described as having a “disturbing interest of young children” has been sentenced after he preyed on a six-year-old girl at the Sunshine Plaza in the Sunshine Coast.

Jasper Zwicker, 31, pleaded guilty at Maroochydore District Court on Monday to one count of the indecent treatment of a girl under 12. The judge also activated the breach of a recognisance order Zwicker received in 2022, when he was convicted of possessing child exploitation material using a carriage service.

He had served six months in prison before being released on the order.

Crown prosecutor Alex Stark told the court in January 2024, at Sunshine Plaza, a witness observed Zwicker glancing around nervously at Kmart while constantly drawing his attention on a young girl.

The six-year-old was with her seven-year-old friend and the friend’s parents, who had their backs turned to Zwicker.

“He crouched down and reached underneath her skirt and softly stroked her buttock area for about five seconds with one of his hands,” Mr Stark said.

Maroochydore Courthouse, Maroochydore. (AAPImage/David Clark)

Zwicker then left Kmart, but a witness followed him and later identified him to police, leading to his arrest.

Mr Stark said Zwicker initially claimed to police he had accidentally bumped into the child and attempted to shift blame onto the witness, describing the situation as “the witness’s fantasy”.

Judge Michael Byrne KC dismissed the excuse as “mere rubbish”.

On the day before the incident, CCTV footage also showed Zwicker at the same Kmart crouching behind another child, but did not touch them, the court was told.

The court was told that Zwicker had a criminal history dating back to 2013 and suffered from schizophrenia, for which he was receiving medication.

In January 2019, Zwicker was sentenced after masturbating on a bike path when at least three woman rode past him.
In July 2019, he was sentenced for using a carriage service to harass multiple people over the phone.

In April 2020 he was sentenced after flashing a 16-year-old girl on another bike path.

Between 2020 and 2022, Zwicker was sentenced for multiple charges related to making threatening or harassing phone calls to strangers.

Mr Stark said on one occasion he sent a woman, unknown to him, obscene messages about “sexual acts about a two-year-old girl”.

Zwicker was subsequently charged with 15 offences for making harassing phone calls, primarily to Kids Helpline, where he would often make disturbing “orgasm” sounds during the calls.

Jasper Zwicker in 2017.

In 2022 he rang up a modelling agency to again talk about sexual acts about a two-year-old girl, which resulted in police conducting a search warrant where they discovered child abuse material on his phone.

“Police found 28 web pages on his phone involving children, three to four years of age, male and female,” Mr Stark said.

The court heard he had been viewing the websites since 2017.

He was convicted in the Gympie District Court and served six months in prison before being released on a recognisance order, which he breached during the Kmart incident.

During the 2022 sentencing, Judge Glen Cash said Zwicker had a “disturbing interest of young children”.

Zwicker’s solicitor said he was remorseful of his actions and had gained clarity regarding his offending while in prison.

Judge Byrne described the latest incident as a “parents’ worst nightmare” and called Zwicker’s conduct “gravely concerning”.

He said what began as “non-contact” offending has now escalated to “acting on the fantasies”.

He acknowledged mitigating factors, including Zwicker’s mental health and schizophrenia, but emphasised that the need to protect children outweighed those considerations.

Zwicker was sentenced to one year and 10 months imprisonment for the indecent treatment and breaching a recognisance order.

With 327 days already served, he will become eligible for parole on January 9, 2025, followed by an additional two years of probation. He was also given a five-year good behaviour recognisance order.

Convictions were recorded, and Zwicker will be required to register as a reportable offender upon his release.