Jesse David Gillow sentenced for indecent treatment of a child

A Sunshine Coast man faced a Maroochydore courtroom on Friday where he was convicted of 13 charges of indecent treatment of a child.

Jesse David Gillow leaves the Maroochydore Courthouse on Friday, July 14.

A Sunshine Coast man has been handed a prison sentence after he indecently dealt with a child at his church.

Jesse David Gillow, 20, appeared in the Maroochydore District Court on Friday, July 14, where he pleaded guilty to 13 charges of indecent treatment of children under 16 years.

Crown prosecutor Rebecca Marks told the court Gillow had met the victim, who was aged 14 and 15 at the time of offending, at a church before he indecently touched her on five occasions in late-2021.

Ms Marks said on one occasion the victim told Gillow his behaviour was making her uncomfortable.

“When she told him to stop this made her feel uncomfortable, he told her ‘asking me to stop is like asking a serial killer to never kill again’,” Ms Marks said.

Ms Marks told the court on another occasion Gillow told the victim to not tell anyone about his behaviour towards her, threatening to kill himself if she did.

“He did tell her not to say anything about the offending otherwise her parents would ground her and he would kill himself if anyone found out,” Ms Marks said.

“The offending was disclosed after the complainant’s father observed the defendant crying at a youth camp and he told her father the complainant was being slutty and went to have sex with different guys.”

Defence barrister Mark McCarthy told the court Gillow, the youngest child of seven, had not received an education on sex and consent.

Mr McCarthy said his client had been homeschooled through a Christian distance education system through which he was also able to take certain vocational education courses which enabled him to complete a Year 12 Certificate in 2020.

“Notwithstanding he hadn’t attended an orthodox high school he completed his high schooling the year before, having otherwise also not participated in the social and community structures that are typical of the more orthodox high schooling arrangements,” Mr McCarthy said.

“The only sex education he received was limited.”

Maroochydore District Court judge Glen Cash told the court Gillow was “sexually naive”.

“You’ve had no real sexual education, especially as it might concern matters of age and consent, you were and are sexually naive,” Mr Cash said.

Mr Cash sentenced Gillow to two 12-month prison sentences, served concurrently and suspended immediately, operational for 12 months.