Trevor Church: Man handed jail term for stalking IGA worker

An IGA customer has been jailed for stalking a 16-year-old staff member and sending her vile messages for almost three years.

A 16-year-old IGA worker has spent almost three years in fear of a customer who just would not leave her alone, a court has heard.

Trevor James Church, now 48, was originally a “nice, chatty” customer at an IGA store north of Brisbane, according to his then underage victim, however things escalated after Church made an uncomfortable sexual remark while she was restocking lower shelves in the store.

“You look good on your knees,” Church said to the 16-year-old girl.

“You should be on your knees with me.”

Defendant Trevor Church who was in Pine Rivers Court today for stalking charges.

Pine Rivers court heard Church began to stalk the girl, however his defence explained that he had “not always” gone out of his way to see her but instead crossed her path by coincidence.

However the victim was compelled to tell Church to “f*ck off weirdo” when he sent a message to her via Instagram of a box of vibrating sex toys.

The court heard he also messaged the victim on another occasion asking her if she was going to “get a black dildo” as a gift for an upcoming special occasion.

The court heard Church, a truck driver who lived with his partner and her child in a “good family unit”, was “repentant” and had no previous convictions.

However Magistrate Trevor Morgan said that despite an eight or nine-month period with no contact, Church had resumed stalking the victim and did not stop until he was confronted by police.

He praised the young woman’s actions through the protracted experience.

“Her conduct during these times has been exemplary... in dealing with the horrible conduct you displayed.”

He said that in the her victim impact statement she wrote about feeling “very anxious in her day-to-day dealings with customers.

“The conduct you’ve engaged in was intended in some occurrences to cause harm,” Magistrate Morgan said.

“When she ignored you... you have acted maliciously against her by making a complaint with her employer.”

He said the comment to the then 16-year-old girl about looking good on her knees was “disgusting... with obvious sexual connotations”.

Church pleaded guilty to one count of stalking and was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, immediately suspended for three years.

“This is such a significant course of events,” Magistrate Morgan said.

He was also ordered not to have any contact with the victim or come within 100m of her for the next five years.