Michael Hill: Dubbo man charged with sexual touching at Western Star Hotel

A Dubbo man has faced court after sexually touching a distressed young woman at a popular local pub, saying he “does not deserve forgiveness” for his vile crime.

A Dubbo father has narrowly avoided jail after putting his hand inside a distressed young woman’s underwear and assaulting her outside the Western Star Hotel in Dubbo.

Michael Hill, 47, was charged with sexually touching another person without consent days after the sickening incident involving a woman decades his junior.

He appeared in Dubbo Local Court yesterday where he pleaded guilty to the charge.

Michael Hill at Dubbo Local Court.

Documents tendered to Dubbo Local Court state Hill was at a birthday celebration for a family member when he made “inappropriate sexual remarks” to three women at the event.

Hill then said to the victim “you’re gorgeous too but not as gorgeous as (the woman next to you)” before suggesting the pair “did…porn” together.

The pair were later smoking outside the venue when Hill made his move on the victim, standing “face-to-face” and asking “can I have a kiss?”, court documents reveal.

Hill did not give the victim an opportunity to answer before he kissed her as she attempted to move away from him.

He then slid his hands under the victim’s playsuit, rubbing her vagina and clitoris, prompting her to say “this is wrong”.

“What’s so wrong with giving an old man a hard on,” Hill said according to court documents.

The woman tearfully revealed the assault to her companions before leaving the venue and made a report to Dubbo police the following day.

Hill attended the station at officers’ request, where he was then arrested and charged.

Magistrate Theresa Hamilton was frank in her assessment of Hill’s actions, saying “it is among the most serious type of this offence.”

“There was direct skin on skin contact,” Ms Hamilton said.

The court heard from Hill’s solicitor that he had struggled with alcohol for many years, partly due to an incident in which a young employee who reported to Hill at their former workplace lost an arm in an industrial accident.

The solicitor also said Hill believed he “did not deserve forgiveness” for what he had done.

“It was not just one touching incident, it involved a number of unwelcomed touches to this person,” Ms Hamilton continued.

“There is also the age difference to consider, the victim was quite a lot younger.”

Ms Hamilton acknowledged Hill was heavily intoxicated when the event occurred but nevertheless said the Section 5 threshold – where some kind of prison term must apply – was well and truly crossed.

However, Ms Hamilton ruled Hill could serve the prison term as an intensive corrections order for eight months.

Hill was also convicted and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service, along with drug and alcohol counselling.

The Dubbo man works as a kitchen hand at the Night’s Grill in Dubbo.