Queensland hospital worker Daryl Dale sexually assaulted colleague
A Brisbane hospital worker has faced court for sexually assaulting his colleague during a shift before telling her she was so beautiful he couldn’t help himself.
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A Brisbane dad has faced court for sexually assaulting a hospital worker who was working a shift, leaving her “frozen” and emotionally scarred.
Daryl Bruce Dale, 55, of Kedron faced the Brisbane District Court on March 2 and pleaded guilty to sexual assault.
The court heard Dale was 52 and his victim was in her 30s when he sexually assaulted her.
The pair were working a shift together at a hospital when Dale offered to give the victim a massage.
He had previously given her “sport massages” but in this instance she declined.
The court heard Dale, a father-of-three, ignored her dismissal and positioned himself such that he was “thrusting on her”.
He applied pressure to her neck in a way she felt restricted her breathing and rubbed his penis on the outside of her clothes against her vagina and bottom.
The victim “froze”, Dale eventually “got off her” and stated: “I’m sorry. You’re so gorgeous, I can’t help it. Well, I can but I don’t want to.”
The court heard the woman made sure to avoid any future massages.
Dale admitted guilt during a pretext call and indicated he was sorry and did not mean to hurt her.
The court heard the 55-year-old had a limited and somewhat dated criminal history and had faced some challenges in recent times, including a separation from his wife, a cancer diagnosis, a stroke and major depression.
Several of his friends provided references to the court asserting the event was isolated and Dale was generally a “decent” and “trustworthy” person.
Judge Suzanne Sheridan noted the offence took place in a “vulnerable area” of a hospital and was “not fleeting”.
She also acknowledged the devastating impact the sexual assault had on Dale’s victim, which included her losing her love of sport as well as her job and ability to socialise as she once did.
Ms Sheridan said she did not believe it was necessary for Dale to serve any actual prison time.
The 55-year-old was sentenced to nine months’ jail suspended immediately for an operational period of 18 months.
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