Andrew Edmund Lee avoids jail after indecent assault in Mittagong

A “naive” young man took a young girl to secret bushland areas they dubbed ‘The Palace’ and ‘The Dungeon’ and indecently assaulted her seven times - acts she says turned her into a “different person”.

A “naive” young man has avoided spending time behind bars after he admitted to indecently assaulting an underage girl numerous times.

Andrew Edmund Lee, 27, appeared in Moss Vale Local Court on Monday after pleading guilty to seven counts of indecently assaulting a minor and two charges of inciting a minor to commit an act of indecency.

The Bundanoon resident had met the victim when she was eight years old and he was 14, according to court documents. Lee told police he didn’t know how young the victim was when they met.

Documents show they began exchanging emails and met up when she was 13 and he was an 18-year-old adult.

For months the two would meet in two bushland locations in Mittagong, which they dubbed ‘The Palace’ and ‘The Dungeon’.

Andrew Edmund Lee appeared in Moss Vale Local Court after admitting to indecently assaulting an underage girl.

Police facts show Lee put his hand underneath the victim’s shirt and groped her breasts on the five occasions they met at ‘The Dungeon’, a nature strip on Colo Street in Mittagong. “At this stage, the victim was aged 13 and had just started developing breasts,” agreed facts stated.

“The offender was aged 18.”

Between April and July 2013, court documents state the victim went to Lee’s parents’ house and the two took off their clothes in his bed. The documents state they began kissing and Lee touched the victim’s body, although the victim clamped her legs and moved away when he tried to touch her groin.

When he persisted, court documents state the victim put her underpants back on, and then they continued to kiss. According to the facts, Lee then asked the victim to shower with him, but she worried her parents would notice her wet hair and find out where she’d been.

According to the agreed facts, she left the house after he asked her if she wanted to know what sperm looked like. The facts show Lee ended their relationship not long after, in July 2013.

“I think it’s time I let go of you,” he wrote.

Lee called her a “wonderful girl” but told her they were heading down “separate paths”, the agreed facts show.

Andrew Edmund Lee was supported by his family in court and there was a crowd of friends outside.

The two met again a year later, according to court documents, and the victim told Lee to stop when he touched her breast. Police facts show Lee then unzipped his pants and pulled out his penis, which the victim touched for a few minutes until they heard someone coming.

The victim went to police in June 2020 to report the incident. When interviewed, Lee admitted to police he had been testing boundaries with the victim.

“There was a case of me pushing the limit, um, knowing it was wrong, not quite knowing what I was doing either. But like I knew enough to know it was wrong,” he told them.

According to court documents, Lee said the sexual touching was mutual and it “wasn’t sexual in his head”.

“I just sort of put my hands in places where I was curious about,” he told police.

Magistrate Mark Douglass said he accepted Lee had made admissions to police, but told him: “That does not dilute the seriousness of what you’ve done.”

Andrew Edmund Lee has avoided spending time behind bars after admitting to sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Magistrate Douglass said the victim’s testimony revealed the ongoing consequences of the indecent assaults.

“She is a different person now because of your behaviour,” he said.

“You heard how it’s impacting her.”

He said the offences were determined “not paedophilia” but actions of an “immature and naive young man”. The magistrate said being in a relationship didn’t make the sexual offences permissible.

“Whilst it happened in a relationship, a person that young cannot consent,” he said.

“That is the law.”

He acknowledged Lee’s clean record and good character references, and noted the past few months “must have been quite stressful” for the offender.

Magistrate Douglass sentenced Lee to a three-year community corrections order and 350 hours of community service. He also imposed a five-year no-contact apprehended violence order to protect the victim.