Part-time pastor tasked with supporting teen convicted of grooming
A Hobart church performed an “internal investigation” into a part-time pastor accused of grooming a young girl before the girl’s doctor reported the matter to police, a Hobart judge found.
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A Hobart church performed an “internal investigation” into one of its part-time pastors accused of grooming a young girl before the girl’s doctor reported the matter to police, a Hobart judge has found.
Peter James Schnetler pleaded guilty early in proceedings to one count of grooming with intent to expose a child or young person to indecent material.
The matter was heard before Acting Justice David Porter on February 4, with the judge convicting Schnetler on the one count.
The offending began in August and September 2023 between Schnetler, a part-time pastor at a church, and a 16-year-old girl, who attended the church with her parents.
The girl Samantha, not her real name, began receiving support in 2022 from South African Schnetler for mental health issues, with Acting Justice Porter stating the two would message online daily and share “innocuous photographs”.
“This progressed to the stage where the defendant would often tell Samantha that he loved her and complimented her by calling her beautiful,” he said.
“In response to photographs she sent to him – again, apparently innocuous ones – he would respond to the effect that he loved her.
This made Samantha feel uncomfortable, but she did not do anything about it.”
The court heard that the messaging culminated in an Instagram conversation between Samantha and Schnetler in September 2023 where the two played ‘truth or dare’.
Acting Justice Porter found that Schnetler’s messages detailed sexual acts with other people to Samantha, who did not respond to the messages and disclosed what had happened to her mother.
“Samantha’s family arranged a meeting with the pastor of the church and the conversation was reported to him,” Acting Justice Porter said.
“An internal investigation took place, as a result of which, the defendant wrote a lengthy apology, but ultimately police became involved when Samantha spoke to her general practitioner about what had happened.”
Acting Justice Porter detailed Schnetler’s comments to police during an interview, that he “did not honestly know what his aim was” and that his comments were “misguided”.
“He admitted that Samantha was a vulnerable person, that Samantha’s mental health deteriorated after the conversation and said that he did not perceive that it would harm her in any way,” Acting Justice Porter said.
In handing down a sentence, Acting Justice Porter acknowledged Schnetler has no prior criminal history and his risk of reoffending was low, with character references, including the lead pastor of the church concerned. detailing that the event was “out of character” for married Schnetler.
However, Acting Justice Porter said any sexual misconduct in relation to children and young persons has to be “viewed in a serious light”.
Schnetler was convicted of the one count and given a community correction order to perform 105 hours of community service in 18 months.
He was also ordered to educational or psychological programs as directed by a probation officer.
Schnetler was placed on the Community protection Register for two years.
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