Neil Levett: Ryde church teacher sentenced for indecent assault

A supposed respected church member who helped run weekend bible classes indecently assaulted a young girl.

A church member indecently assaulted a young girl when she was taken away from her parents for bible class, a court heard.

The victim was targeted by Neil William Levett at a church in Ryde.

The now 54-year-old placed the girl on his lap and kissed her lips and even inserted his tongue into her mouth, court documents reveal.

Hornsby Local Court heard the family started attending the Ryde church for a weekly Saturday service when the girl was just five years old.

At the beginning of each service there would be a welcome ceremony, after which the service would split up into separate groups for children and adults, court documents state.

The adults would remain in the main church and the children went into a separate room.

Court documents reveal the girl was Levett’s only pupil in the bible class at the time of the offending.

The offending occurred on two occasions, court documents reveal: the first between August 2011 and December 31, 2012 and the second between January 1 to December 31 2013.

When inside the children’s room, Levett closed the doors before “placing her on his lap, facing him,” court documents state.

Hornsby Local Court, where Levett plead guilty to two counts of indecently assaulting a minor. Picture: David Swift

He then “kissed the victim on her lips and inserted his tongue into her mouth” while she remained on his lap.

Because of the position he forced her into she told police she could feel his penis on her.

Police facts also reveal that, on other occasions, Levett “would hug the victim around her shoulders and hold her hand while walking, making her feel special.”

Magistrate Robyn Denes highlighted the serious nature of Levett’s crimes, particularly as the victim “was a vulnerable child”.

She added: “She was in the arms of the church … (and) there was a breach of trust.”

She further stated that when “people of good characters or reputation are able to commit these sort of offences” it only compounds a victim’s fear of not being believed.

Ms Denes also made note of the time frame that had elapsed between Levett’s two offences, telling the court that the victim only became aware of the assault because of events that were arising in the public sphere this year.

On February 15 2021 the victim attended Castle Hill Police Station, together with her father, to report Levett.

In an interview with police on April 9 2021, Levett stated he taught the children’s class about six times, and that he was only with the victim for the majority of these classes.

Levett told police in the interview he used to pick the victim up and place her on his lap, and that “he may have kissed the victim on the cheek and her forehead.”

Levett, of The Ponds, pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault of a person under 16.

Magistrate Denes gave him a three year Community Correction Order and placed him on an Apprehended Personal Violence Order (APVO).