Gregory Michael Davis: Firefighter sentenced after being found guilty of sexual touching during 2019 bushfires

A senior South Australian firefighter has been sentenced after being found guilty of sexually touching a volunteer during the 2019 bushfires in Casino. But he won’t be going to jail immediately. Here’s why.

A senior South Australian firefighter has immediately appealed his sentence after he was found guilty of sexually touching a volunteer during the 2019 bushfires in Casino.

Gregory Michael Davis was convicted by Magistrate Jeff Linden in Lismore Local Court after hearing for three counts of aggravated sexual touching of another person.

The 53-year-old from the South Australian suburb of Wayville contested the charges at a hearing in November and April 2021 for an incident which occurred during the 2019 bushfire response in Casino, NSW.

Davis, however, maintains his innocence.

The SA Metro Fire Service commander from Wayville had been deployed with about 60 volunteers from Adelaide to Northern NSW to assist with the December 2019 bushfires.

The court heard during his time on deployment, Mr Davis and a woman in her 20s, who was part of the volunteers from South Australia, travelled to Casino as part of their role.

Gregory Michael Davis from Wayville, has appealed guilty convictions of sexually touching a volunteer firefighter.

The court heard during this time, Mr Davis and the woman couldn't find an open bar to have dinner at after their working day and decided to return to their motel.

The pair were having a glass of wine in Mr Davis’s room when he started touching her on the thigh and he tried to kiss her despite her telling him “no”.

The court heard he continued to touch her and rub against her back while not wearing any clothes from the waist down before trying to remove her clothing.

The woman had protested to his actions and had managed to leave the room despite his request for her to stay, the court also heard.

Throughout the hearing Davis maintained everything that happened was consensual.

Davis was convicted and sentenced to 15 months imprisonment with three months non-parole.

However Davis immediately appealed the conviction and sentence.

He was granted appellants bail with conditions to report daily at Norwood Police station, to surrender his passport and for one person to deposit a sum of $5000 to be forfeited if he doesn’t comply with bail.

The matter is listed for mention in Lismore District Court on July 11, 2022.